


Splatoon 3: The Primal Ink Invasion

by GwynethOnyxDark



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Agent 3 and 8 are already together, Agent 3 and Pearl and disaster lesbians, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Gore, F/F, Lesbian Relationships, Marina and original character with a rocky past, Swearing, This takes place after Octo Expansion only three years later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-17 13:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20622032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwynethOnyxDark/pseuds/GwynethOnyxDark
Summary: Its been three years after Commander TarTar was defeated, yet some of the remaining sanitizing ink was found by a brilliant forgotten Octarian scientist, and they wanted to cheat death by creating a crimson glowing red ink, also known as: "The Primal ink." However things do not go according to plan as the ink is then released into the world, causing havoc and massive destruction. Now the our favorite idols, Marina, Pearl, Callie and Marie, along side with a mysterious octoling who claims to known whats happening, And agents 3, 4 and 8. Which all, must find a way to stop the invasion and save the world. Will our hero's save the world again from world threatening abominations, or will the world be led to to ruin?





	1. The Day before tomorrow

It was a nice day in Inkopolis as the news came on. It was the usual Off-The-Hook news that comes on every day in mornings, noons and late afternoons. The usual intro plays as the logo goes away revealing the famous squid and octopus duo: Pearl and Marina.

"Y'all know what time is is!" Pearl started first as always and Marina says her usual part. "Its Off The Hook coming at you live in Inkopolis square!" They did their parts on television announcing a new splatfest which this time around was about Fruits vs. Vegetables. They did they're parts where they kinda encourage the fans the pick either side. "Well that all the time we have!" Pearl says as she gets off the chair, and Marina puts up her DJ set. "Don't get cooked, Stay Off The Hook!" The duo does their signature pose and the TV's turn off the program. "And thats a wrap! Great job, both of you!" Both of their manager says to the duo. Pearl and Marina smiled and both left the studio. "You we're a lot more chirpier on TV than normal, Pearl, are you like in a good mood today?" Marina asked pearl with curiosity. "Nah I'm just glad today's a special day for us both." Marina raised an eyebrow looking down at Pearl. "A special day? What's it all about?" Pearl sneered and places a arm around Marina, which this made the octoling blush a little. "You'll have to wait, and see when we get home!" Marina was very curious this time, but she smiled as she walked with Pearl. "Alright Pearlie, whatever you say." She chuckled cutely, and this made Pearl blush a bit as well.

While they were walking home they were distracted by one another that they didn't realize a faint guitar was playing in the background.

"Wait, Pearlie, do you hear that?" Marina asked as she looks around for the source of the music. "What? What is it Marina?" Pearl questions to the octoling in confusion. "Wait I..I can hear it too." Pearl finally realizes what Marina meant by music is playing somewhere. It sounded like a electric guitar is playing. Interested, Marina walked to the sound. "Wait! Rina! What if its a trap? What if some creep is in a alley way trying to lure us in?!" Pearl kind of panicked which Marina rolled her eyes. "Pearl...you have watched way too much TV to even start believing that, and that's stupid." Marina still continued to walk over to the sound of a guitar playing as inkling stood in in a bit of shock. She finally snapped out of it and went after the octoling. "Rina, wait for me!" The duo went to the alley way and found the person who was playing the electric guitar.

It was an octoling.

But the locks on this one was completely different than any other octoling that was out there. The tentacles are one of the longest that any other octoling hair they have ever seen. They were the dark colored octolings yet a darker raven black color on the ends, similar looking to Marina's. The skin was a very pale kind and she looked like she's been out here for awhile, despite looking tired as the late afternoon rays from the sun shined onto her more. The mysterious octoling looked like her clothes were bought years ago and was never taken off where it looked a bit ripped and old, and the shorts looked the same too, It was a normal jean blue, with the exception of a couple of tears. Her hands were freely moving with each strum against the strings with her claws? They looked similar to Marinas but black colored, and are a lot longer than hers. And her eyes shimmered from the golden light of the late afternoon sun rays and they looked to be an icy blue color with a hint of red making them almost purple. The song was very mysterious with a hint of romance into it. "Wow...an octoling playing a guitar professionally!" Marina became a little bit jealous by Pearl's comment. "Well, maybe she's in a band that we may have never heard of before." Pearl looked at Marina and nodded. "Yeah! she has to be. That is like so professional and the tone is on point."

The duo was just ranting on and on about this mysterious octoling, but the octoling looked over realizing she's being watched by her idols. Her eyes widen and puts away her guitar, but accidentally made the guitar case close too quickly and the locked clipped in place loudly, alerting the two girls.

"U-uh..." 

The girl realized the mistake, and gets up as the idols we're looking at her direction. "Hi there, stranger! Your very good at playing that guitar! What band are you from?" Pearl asked the girl in curiosity and interest, but this frightened the girl and the mysterious octoling ran away. "Oh uh...did I say something wrong?" Pearl's shoulders sank a little. "She's probably embarrassed, Pearlie. You did come at her a little too strong." Marina chuckled walking up to Pearl and places a hand on her shoulder. "Well I wanted to know who she was, because she was really good at playing the guitar." The octoling looked at pearl with a hint of jealousy in her eyes, but kept her usual calm look. "Well Pearlie, are you gonna show me what the surprise is?" Marina was still excited about this surprise. "Oh! Yeah right, lets head home!"

Marina nods and she followed Pearl on the way home.

~Some time passes.~

The duo got back to they're home, Marina is still wondering about what surprise that Pearl has in mind at the house. Once the front door was close, Pearl went to sit in the living room on the couch, sighing in relief now able to rest after today. "Now...Pearlie..." Marina starts. "What is the surprise?" Pearl huffed, knowing she'll have to get up again. Giving in, she gets up, and goes to the fridge. "I want to give this a shot with you, Rina." Pearl finally tells the octoling.

Marina was very confused about what she meant by that, but that curiosity went away when Pearl pulled out three packs of alcohol beverages. Marina's eyes widen in surprise seeing the alcohol. 

"W-Where did you get all of that Pearl? Is this the surprise?" The octoling was very confused when Pearl smiled deviously at her and places down the packs.

"Come on Rina, a couple of drinks wouldn't hurt. Your almost twenty-one!" Pearl was right about that, but Marina didn't feel comfortable about this, and she fixes her tentacle out of her face. 

"You want t-to drink...with me? She blushes a little, but still felt uncomfortable about this since she's following the law of drinking at the age of twenty-one, however Pearl now was twenty-three, so there was no way out of this. 

"Come on Rina, we're only gonna do a challenge together with this much alcohol." Pearl ran back into the living room as Marina then huffed in defeat and followed Pearl into the room. Pearl goes to the DVD player, and puts in a CD that has a movie with a lot of cussing in it. "Now the challenge is that when ever a character cusses, you HAVE to take a shot of alcohol." Pearl rants to Marina. The octoling was a bit stunned, but still was uncomfortable to do this challenge with her news partner. Pearl noticed Marina's expression and huffed. "Rina, don't leave me hanging doing this challenge by myself...And plus, we barely get to hang out together, ever since we became famous. You also use to like doing this, too, so, please? Just this once?" Marina looked at the inkling with awe, hearing this from the confident squid Pearl was, yet sighed, and gave in.

"Alright alright Pearlie...I'll do it... for you." Marina was then tackled by Pearl's sudden hug, but she hugged back her smaller friend, deep down Marina still had that bad feeling that something is going to go wrong, but she didn't want to leave Pearl doing this challenge by herself, and continue being unsettled at her that she couldn't participate into this challenge. Marina knew it was only one night to do this with Pearl and Pearl alone, so Marina accepted the challenge.

~A good two hours pass~

Marina's head was throbbing, and she realized she was on the floor. 

"Huh, I must've passed out...hmm?" She looked over to see Pearl seemingly half asleep on the couch as a beer bottle was still in her hand and she looked up to the TV screen, seeing the movie has already ended an hour ago. She gets up slowly holding her head, but she also felt a little dizzy, and her mind also wasn't in the right place, all what the octoling wanted to do was to go to bed already. Marina sighed, knowing she'll have to carry her smaller friend to her room upstairs, hoping that she doesn't lose her balance while being drunk, but when she even took a step towards Pearl, that head rush comes in and she falls on top of Pearl, luckily catching herself before she could impact the inkling with such force, and accidentally waking her up. But, Marina looked at the inkling below her and inspected the girl. She then places a hand onto Pearl's cheek as she continued hovering over the smaller inkling.

Marina stared at Pearl from above, hoping she was maybe dozed off enough that she had no idea what was going on. Marina began caressing the inklings cheek gently, and it seemed to be that Pearl smiled in her sleep which made the octoling scream internally by the adorableness. "Pearlie...you look so...adorable when you asleep." But Marina realized what she has said and blushed deeply, and in embarrassment. "No no no! Marina, why are you thinking that way!? Ugh! That sounded so creepy! No no no, focus! We need to go to bed." Marina thought to herself as she removed her hand from Pearl's face. Her mind wasn't in the right place at all, and she held her head as another head rush comes into play.

However, Marina had no idea that Pearl awake the entire time and listened to Marina. 

"Rina..." Pearl spoke quietly. Marina's head shot up to see what Pearl wanted, but she remembered that she was on top of Pearl and was about to get up, but was interrupted by Pearl's sudden touch on her shoulder. Pearl sat herself up, but still was lying down, and her hand went to touch Marina's cheek which Marina stopped, but relaxed feeling her friends gesture. 

"Rina..." Pearl said in a drunkenly matter to Marina which sounded a little husky, and the octoling shivered in pleasure a little, that she got closer to the inklings face. "You always...Looked...So beautiful...in my eyes." Pearl finally finished her sentence which Marina blushed a few shades darker than her usual dark skin. They're lips were just about a couple of inches away and they could feel each others breath. However even before moving, someone abruptly banged on they're door. Pearl groaned and sighed in frustration. "That better not be a fan outside..." However before Marina even had the chance to even get the door still drunk, the door busted open has a couple of inklings rushed in. The colors of them were a red color and they looked like madmen, trying to hurt the duo, as one ran towards Marina in a fast manor. Marina terrified, grabbed Pearl and bolted upstairs, as the inkling was right behind her. However that damned head rush comes in again, and Marina falls to the ground. Pearl got up slowly. "What in the name of---" Before she could even finish her sentence, an explosion of mysterious black ink happened, making Pearl and Marina fly, and hit the walls. Pearl was knocked out cold, while Marina was blacking out, and all she remembered was someone walking up to her, as her vision faded into darkness.


	2. Concerning questions and spicy twists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hint of smut at the end. Just a warning. And yes, Agents 3, 4, and 8 have names, deal with it.

Marina slowly wakes up, but everything was still blurry and she could hear her own heartbeat. The headache came back, but it was temporarily. The octoling held her head and sat up as her back ached for a bit. "W-What happened...and..." But once her surroundings were adjusted and she remembered where she was, she began to panic a little realizing...this home...wasn't hers or Pearl's. "Pearlie...Pearlie!" Marina shook the inkling awake who was next to her on the bed. 

"What, what? I'm trying to sleep, Rina." The octoling rolled her eyes and shook her again. "Pearl...I don't think this is our house." Pearl after a bit finally sat up, but was shocked to see this wasn't her home. "Rina...why are we in a strangers home?" Pearl said with a bit of panic in her voice. 

"I'm sure there's an explanation about why we are here in the first place." Marina got up, Pearl followed after and they left the bedroom, but what they found as the living room was super confusing. It looked like no one lives here, just a TV and a old couch in the middle of the room and the kitchen looked surprisingly clean. 

"Huh, looks like someone must really like taking care of their place." Pearl said looking around. Marina then sees a open guitar case and examined it for a little bit. Her eyes widen and looked to her right and pearl looked as well when they heard a door creak. It was that octoling they ran into yesterday. The octoling looked at the idols realizing they're both awake. 

"O-Oh...your awake." The octoling's voice sounded a bit monotone and sounded deeper than an average girl. 

"Oh its you! The girl we met the other day!" Pearl said to the octoling. The mysterious octoling flinched from Pearl's loud speech, but then she laughed. Pearl and Marina became a bit confused why the mysterious octoling was laughing.

"Heh, both of you still amuse me to this day." The duo became even more confused. 

"Y-You know us?" Marina asked the other octoling. 

"W-Well yeah...I'm fans with both of you." Well that explains it. 

"Your a fan? Wait...DID YOU KIDNAP US?!" Pearl screamed at the octoling which scared her a bit and Marina placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"Pearlie...calm down." Pearl grumbled and Marina faced the mysterious octoling once more. "So how many times have you been in our concerts? And even seen us on the news on air?" Marina asked.

"Oh I go to them all the time...I'm just not interested to sign any autographs or purchase anything." The mysterious octoling claimed calmly.

Pearl walked up to the octoling. "Well if thats right, then whats your name?" The inkling asked. The mysterious octoling sighed and answered. 

"My name is Onyx, and no I did not kidnap you two...I saved you two." The duo got confused but both of they're eyes widened remembering what has happened. Marina placed both of her hands on both sides of her face realizing what happen. 

"We've been robbed!" Pearl began to panic with Marina. 

"What!? Oh no!"The other octoling interrupted them. 

"Guys! Your house wasn't completely vandalized by those things who tried to splat you to death. You two were lucky that I was passing by and so, I went over and saw that it was your house, so I rushed in and helped. Unfortunately, both of you we're passed out and yes, I carried both of you here." Both Pearl and Marina were relieved about that, but were surprise a single octoling took out five inklings at one go. Pearl adjusts her crown and clears her throat.

"Anyways, Onyx, thank you for saving us, but since its like Friday and all, we both still have to go to work." Onyx nodded her head but saw that they didn't look all that well. In fact if they even go to work looking hungover, its best for them to stay in for the weekend. 

"Actually, you two don't look too fresh, and the smell of alcohol is strong on the both of you." Marina remembered they drank a bunch of alcohol. 

"Oh yeah right" Pearl sighed saying that kind of tiredly, and sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head.

"Look, both of you need to stay here and freshen up, but going back home isn't gonna be a good idea, because inklings and octolings have been disappearing lately by these "red" inklings and octolings." Pearl and Marina decided to listen to the octoling, but Pearl has one more question. 

"Um...sorry to burst the bubble here, but what is going on out there, and why are these "red" inklings popping up outta nowhere?" Onyx crossed her arms and said in a cold voice. 

"I will tell you both tomorrow, but for now I need both of you to rest here, so we can get prepared of whats happening, so this won't ever happen again." Pearl didn't feel right with this answer as if she wasn't convinced enough, but Marina suggested its better off that way.

After about twenty minutes pass, Marina had to call the studio, telling them that her and Pearl won't be there today, because of someone vandalizing their home and in the end, feeling sick from a hungover, that Marina will be kicking Pearl's ass later. But something else was on Marina's mind as if she has known an octoling way back in her time by the name of Onyx. But she couldn't put her finger on it. She knew it was at the tip of her tongue that this octoling by the name of Onyx sounded familiar but...it just didn't ring any bells. And what was going out there is a mystery. Even inkopolis isn't safe from the terrors of these "red" inklings.

It has been hours later that the Off The Hook idols have met Onyx. So after meeting this mysterious octoling named Onyx, the two idols were in the guest room together, still suffering the aftermath from last night. The ringing in Marina's ears from the loud explosions made her head hurt even more, and she was sore after the impact of two explosions of ink last night as well. Pearl was only going through an aftermath of her drunkenness was only a hungover and Pearl passed out on the bed as Marina used a computer that Onyx let her use. Marina had to look up what was going on with Inkopolis since the attack. There have been several incidents of the same thing happening yet...the inklings that experience the attack are usually missing or dead. Some survived to tell the story yet die a few days later...or so they say. Marina was thankful that her and Pearl survived a night that would've been they're last if Onyx wasn't there close by. She was gonna have to thank her later, but for now her and Pearl just needed some time to recover till they're able to perform and do Inkoplis news again. She decided to call her friend Riley to see if they are OK.

Riley was sleeping in a bed in a dark room with their roommate;Lea. They have been living together ever since Captain Cuttlefish had introduced them to Lea after leaving the underground about three years back. Then they hear their phone ring loudly with the Calamari Inkantation playing as the ring tone and they lazily grab it to see who's calling them really late at night.

"H-Hello...?" Riley spoke sleepily. 

"Hello Riley." They hear Marina behind the phone which surprised them. 

"Ah Marina...hello...um so may I ask, why are you calling me at 10 at night? I know your a night owl, but why?" Marina bit her lip in a bit of guilt. 

"Ah Riley I am so sorry for waking you, I just wanted to know if everything is OK with you and three?" Marina said with some worry in her tone. 

"Oh, thats OK Marina. Me and three are doing just fine.We have heard about rumors going around about some attack of the red inklings and octolings though. It was scary when we found out that you two were attacked as well." Riley finished. 

"Yes, we have been attacked, but do not worry! We're OK now, thanks to an octoling named Onyx who saved us!" Riley then became confused. 

"An octoling...? Named Onyx...?" Riley was a bit confused. 

"Oh, she found us while she was walking by when we were getting attacked by those red inklings last night, and so she told us we'll need to stay at her place till things have settled down." Marina calmly explained.

"I see...thank you for telling me." Riley felt a bit relieved seeing that Marina and Pearl both we're OK. The Riley hears footsteps coming upstairs to her room. "Ah Marina, I need to go now." Marina was about to say something else, but Riley hung up before she could say anything. Marina back at Onyx's was very confused on why Riley would just hang up the phone, but Marina wasn't gonna question about it really. She goes over to Pearl who was still asleep and sat on the bed next to her. Riley was a bit chest fallen just hanging up someone who she looked up to as a mother to her, but it was for the better despite Marina's concern. But her thoughts were then interrupted when she heard a similar voice yell.

"FUCK! SHIT! BITCH! DAMNIT!" A certain inkling that walked upstairs to go meet Riley just stubbed her toe onto a table that was near Riley's room and couldn't help her language barrier that Riley hated, because it scared her. The octoling in her room flinched hearing her roommate swear with no stopping herself. "I swear, I will destroy this damn thing that's in the way!" Riley decides to come out of their room to meet their roommate. 

"H-Hi Lea..." The inkling looked over seeing her octoling roommate. 

"Oh Riley...hey sorry, did I wake you up...?" The inkling went over after putting up her gear in the cabinets of the table near her room and Riley's. 

"Ah...no you didn't, in fact, it was Marina that called me and woke me up." 

The inkling nodded her head. "Is everything OK for them? Do they know about the red inkling rumors...?" Riley nodded. "Good...ugh, work is stressful and I hate leaving you here alone." Riley smiled seeing her roommates concern and they hugged them before the inkling said anymore. 

"I know that Lea...you work so hard to the core that we don't spend that much time together...but maybe if you could take a day off...?" The inkling looked at the octoling in a bit of surprise, and then smiled, accepting that request from her smaller roommate and nodded. 

"Of course I will take a vacation, just to spend time with you, if that's what you want." They both hugged. Riley felt a lot better, hugging her roommate close. Then the inkling kissed the smaller octoling.

"EEP!" Riley was very surprised about her roommate kissing them and the taller inkling smirked. 

"What? I can't have a little bit of fun with a cute octoling?" Three replied as Riley became very sheepish when the taller inkling called her "cute". 

"B-Be serious..." The taller inkling grabbed Riley and lifted her up, taking her to her own room and laying her down onto the bed, and kissed her neck. The octoling was giggling softly, but also breathing a bit heavily, because her neck was surprisingly sensitive and the inkling knew that when they first started dating about ten months ago. 

"I am being serious, Riley. Its because I love you." The hint of lust in the inklings voice was like amusing for the octoling underneath her and nods. "T-Then if, if thats what you want Lea, then be gentle." The inkling chuckled and kissed the octoling gently. 

"Oh don't worry, love, I will."


	3. A nightmare to wake from

~Next day~

Pearl was the first to wake up...or so she thought. It was still dark out as she looked around, and saw her crown was on the floor. As she picked it up, it felt kinda...moist. Then she looked at it, and it has this red liquid. She looked at it and felt a shiver go down her back. "Did something happen? And where is Marina?" She thought to herself. She gets up, but as her feet lands onto the floor, it made a mushy splash sound as if it was mud, but it wasn't. She looked and saw it was red ink covering the floor, she jumped a bit seeing this sight. She tried to calm down as she heads out the door and downstairs. 

"Marina?" she called for her friend to see if she was anywhere in the house at all. However she heard the door behind her creak shut as she entered the kitchen after. She turned around finding Marina...but something was off. Pearl was about to say her name again, but she was cut off seeing how red and bloody she looked. Her teal colored tentacles were red and visible veins were seen within her dark skin in the dim light of the kitchen. Her clothes were stained with red and so her finger tips which replaced her normal pointed teal ones to clawed red ones. The sight to Pearl was nauseating that she wanted to puke and her anxiety was not helping her at all as Marina gave her a blank soulless look of panic as if she was faking her fear, and in her hand looked like a tentacle of her own? She felt her head to see if there was something missing on her face. There was. Her back tentacle was missing and fear was growing more and more within Pearl as she began to cry seeing her friend, cannibalizing at her own piece of hair. Marina chewed and gnawed on the piece of tentacle from Pearl like a chew toy still staring at her with no emotion as Pearl broke down into tears seeing she has failed to protect her friend, and her partner. "No no no no! No this can't be! No! God! Marina! Not you! Please not you..." Pearl was crying hard on the red stained tiles below her. However she saw Marina standing up to her and Pearl backed away against the door behind her, as Marina with bloodlust in her eyes walked up to her slowly, giving that dread that the end was near for Pearl. She panicked and tried to open the door behind her, but couldn't, as if it had locked behind her before she could even escape.

Marina made her way to Pearl with a tilted head and parted lips as her teeth had a tint of red after eating away at her friends tentacle. She raised her hand to Pearl's shoulder, gripping it firmly on the joint. Pearl tried to get away, but the grip was strong, and did everything she could to rip herself away from Marina's grasp, but to no avail. It was useless.

"Pearlie...look at me..." Marina said in this dark soulless tone with a hint of lust in her voice. Pearl shivered from the sound of her friends voice and couldn't move, because of how scared she truly was, however somehow a unknown force made her her look at Marina. All she wanted to do was to pull away but she couldn't. She was then hauled up in the air by Marina's surprisingly strong strength.

"Time to join us, Pearlie...~" Marina now has this crooked expression in her face, as her bloody fangs were now exposed as she smiled wickedly at Pearl. "W-what do you mean "us"?! NO NO NOOOOOO!!!"

Pearl then woke up in a fright. She looked around frantically, examining her surroundings and remembered that she was in Onyx's house. The sun rays were beaming outside from an open curtain window. Pearl was breathing hard, and was covered in cold sweat. She then looked around frantically to see if anything "red" was around. Nothing. "W-whew...Oh thank cod...I thought it was r---AHHHH!!!" She screamed when the door to the room she's in opened.

"Pearlie?! Whats wrong!?" It was only Marina. Pearl looked at her with a look as if she was examining her, but sighed in relief realizing it was just a dream, and so Marina walked over to her slowly, hoping the smaller idol was OK. "Pearlie...are you OK? Did I scare you on accident?" Pearl knew that Marina was a big softie, a nerd for machines and even sarcastic when needed, but when it comes to situations like this, however, she is serious, and will do anything to get rid of a problem, but this is a nightmare we're talking about. You can't really help something like this. You just experience the fear that your mind creates, and then move on. So, Pearl being a stubborn squid she is, tries to lie at the taller idol, so she doesn't have to go through the trouble of telling Marina what happened in her dream.

"I...its...nothing...its nothing, Marina. Don't worry about it. I...its just...you did scare me...heh heh." But no matter how hard Pearl tries not to look like she's lying, Marina knew immediately that she was. Marina huffed, seeing how Pearl's posture was leaning away, her ears drooping a bit, her eyes gazing at the bed rather than Marina's eyes and she was fiddling with her own fingers. Marina sighed, knowing that it takes more than just a simple question was gonna get Pearl to talk, yet she couldn't as if her heart was telling her to go away and leave her be. Something was definitely wrong with Pearl, yet she knew that Pearl isn't gonna hide it forever, but all do respect, she decides to leave Pearl be with her thoughts until she was ready to talk to her.

"Alright Pearl...I understand you don't want to tell me whats wrong or whatever happened that caused you to scream, but I know theres more to it than me just scaring you. Pearlie..." Pearl felt a pang in her heart, as she felt Marina's larger dark hand make contact to Pearl's tensed, balled into a fist, smaller and paler one and the contact seemed to calm Pearl's nerves a bit in her fisted hand. Pearl didn't pull away, feeling that hand over her smaller one made her blush a little, but she couldn't even muster the courage to even look at the taller idol.

"I don't know whats eating you up, but I just want you to tell me whats wrong, at least give me a hint, and I'll help you with whatever is wrong. Pearl lowered her head in guilt. She wanted to tell Marina about her nightmare, but something told her its best not to. Because of the dream she had seeing Marina's nightmarish state made her shiver down to the core. Marina huffed seeing Pearl doesn't want to talk about it, she decided to play the guessing game on her.

Marina then took a breath, and began speaking.

"Let me guess...you had a bad dream?" pearl flinched a bit on Marina, seeing her guessing what she just had and Pearl, sighing in defeat, and nods.

Marina then leaned in to Pearl. "Aw Pearlie..." pearl sees her getting close then blushes.

"EH!? MARINA!!! WE'RE IN A STRANGERS HOME!!! NOWS NOT A GOOD TIME FOR HUGGING!!!"

Marina chuckled as she hugged Pearl, despite their height differences, Marina has to rest on Pearl's head, and Marina smiled. 

"Its never too late for hugs Pearlie. But, if you don't want to tell me what you dreamed about, so I'll leave you be." Pearl nods as she gets up after hugging Pearl and leaves to go downstairs.

Marina left Pearl alone in the bedroom, so Pearl can gather her thoughts on about the dream she just had. Pearl sighed to herself, and laid back down onto the cushion of the pillows underneath her head, and looked up at the ceiling fan. Meanwhile, Marina went back downstairs to make some food for her and Pearl, however she sees the dark tentacled octoling from yesterday by the name of Onyx.

"Oh heya Marina...Wheres Pearl?" Onyx crosses her arms and leans onto the fridge where she was standing.

"She had a bad dream, yet she didn't want to tell me, so I left her alone so she can calm down." Onyx nodded understanding Marina's statement. "I see, well I guess we can wait on her, because what I am gonna tell you is something that is happening right now, and I need your help with a few more people." Marina gave Onyx a bit of a glare and a look of confusion. "And what do you mean by that? What is happening...?" Onyx straightens her posture and stands back up. "Marina, listen, I'll just tell you now so we won't have to waste time on what pearl is doing..." Marina's jaw opened in disbelief to talk, but Onyx stopped her. "You know those inklings that attacked you two days ago?" Marina remembered them when she has having that hangover with Pearl, and so she nodded. "Those inklings...are not your average robbers or thugs... those inklings have been infected by this red "primal" ink that is going to destroy the world if we don't stop it."

Marina was dumbfounded, yet found it a bit hard to believe. "So...these inklings have been infected...and is going to destroy the world? It sounds like 8's time underground dealing with the sanitized octolings." Marina said as she was crossing her arms looking at Onyx as if she was lying. "Ugh...Cod Marina...you always ridicule on everything I've ever said, and still, you do with me to this day." Marina becomes very confused now. "Ive" and "Me" got her attention, and what did Onyx mean by that? Does she know her? 

"Seems to be that you don't remember me...I guess two years being apart doesn't click any memories of me." Marina's eyes begin to widen a little bit, beginning to realize who she was talking to. "Its me...Onyx Cobalt...Ex-engineer specialist and elite soldier, partnered with Marina Ida." Finally the memories were flooding back and Marina steps back in shock. "Yeah, thats me, your old partner---AH!!" Onyx lands onto the floor after being suddenly slapped by Marina who was in shock seeing her old partner.

"You..." Marina was stuck stuttering through her sentence. "What the hell was that for?!" Onyx got back up holding her face where she was slapped. "You! I thought you and I would agree we would never see each other ever again!" Onyx puts both of her hands up in defense as she gets back up. "Hey, hey I know we both did agree six years ago, but please hear me o---" Marina interrupts her."NO! I am tired of you sabotaging me and everyone else you have tormented!" Onyx was a bit shocked hearing her say that type of poison and shoving it down her throat once more.

"Marina! I know what I have done was wrong, but you don't have to remind me of what I have done!" Marina throws her arms to her sides. "And now you've came back to hurt me once more?! What have I ever done to you to ever deserve this pain?!" Onyx couldn't process the words that Marina just said to her. Marina was right about Onyx being a terrible person back in the day, but it still felt like venom to Onyx. So Onyx then lowers her voice, so she can process the words in her mouth correctly, and so she can calm Marina down, and try to convince her to believe her and help her.

"I know your still maybe...actually still mad at me for everything of what I have done to you and everyone else. I get it, Marina. I really do, but I can't change the past of my past actions and everyones opinion about me." Onyx then lowers her head, sighing heavily. "And I know you and I have made a deal: if I leave out of your life, you would forgive me, and you accepted. After six years of being apart, I've realized both you and Pearl were in trouble when those inklings attacked your home. So I made a risky decision and saved you both, yet you still greet me like an old forgotten enemy. And by shoving my past in my face, I get it, Marina. I was horrible to you and everyone else, but people can change. You just have to see and experience it yourself."

Marina lowered her guard and softened her expression seeing that Onyx wasn't like herself before. She was right. This wasn't the past, this is the present."I don't expect you to forgive me for what I have done, even if you already did, it still doesn't feel like it, and I am sorry...for ever hurting you and everyone else OK? So that's that." However marina then moved forward, which Onyx was expecting a the hurtful truth again, but instead she felt a warm embrace from her instead. 

"W-wha....what...why are you...?" Onyx couldn't process the words of what just happened, so Marina explains why. "Because...I've realized...I was the same too, until I heard the Calamari Inkantation..."we" both changed that day...I was so selfish to you when you wanted forgiveness from me." Marina then pulled herself away from Onyx and placed a hand onto her shoulder. "So I forgive you this time, because all I ever wanted was for you to apologize to me. Thats all I ever wanted to hear from you." Onyx nods slowly and lowered her head once more. "Thank you."

"So whats this all about huh?" A voice from behind both octolings interrupt them.


	4. War among us against the mysterious plague

Both Marina and Onyx were suddenly interrupted by a certain famous small inkling, who's by the kitchen door looking at them in interest.

"So what was all that you two were talking about just now?" Pearl asks with a smug look and a hint of sass in her voice. "Aw come on you two, don't leave me hangin..." Both Marina and Onyx stood there in silence, till Onyx broke the silence by clearing her throat. 

"Me and her we're talking about what was going on in the world right now." Pearl walks over, now interested.

"Without me? Ya'll leaving me out?" Pearl raised her voice a bit till Marina placed a hand onto Pearl's shoulder, calming her down instantly.

"Pearlie...we weren't leaving you out of the conversation at all." Onyx smirked a little from that lie, and knew Pearl would be pissed. Even Onyx was a fan of Off The Hook, she liked Pearl for getting hyped up at the littlest things.

"Anyways...Pearl, what I have told Marina, I am going to tell you...listen carefully." Pearl crosses her arms, ad tilted her head to the side. "The inklings that you've encountered with Marina were infected with an ink, which is called "The Primal Ink" or in short TPI. Inklings and Octolings alike are being infected, and is spreading about as we speak. So I have created and customized some weaponry for us to us against these things." Onyx goes into a cabinet, and grabs a large shot gun looking weapon, a dual wielding weapon and these gold and silver looking dualie squelchers.

Pearl and Marina looked at these modified weaponry in surprise, yet Marina's eyes beamed in amazement at Onyx's handy work on these weapons.

"You made these yourself?" Marina picked up the shot gun weapon. It was heavy weight, yet a heavy weapon is a good weapon. It has some history to it, looking like a normal human shot gun, but with changes with the handle, giving it a black skin rather than a wooden brown color. The barrel on it was customized to be silent, yet very deadly." It has four individual shots each, so you will have up to fifty rounds. Do the math of fifty times four and what do you get?" Onyx asked Marina, handing her the shells for the gun. "two-hundred?" Marina answered. "Yes. One to the head, and two to the body." Marina was amazed that Onyx customized her own types of weapons for this kind of scenario to ever happen, and she watched Pearl get her own guns.

The duel wielding weapons were also from history. Similar to a pistol by shape and size, the barrel also was customized to be silent, but very deadly as well. They had a dark grey gun color, and shoots eight individual shots. 

"These guns are duel wielding, so don't lose them OK?" Onyx asked to confirm that Pearl will heed her warning. 

"Pfft yeah, I know that." Pearl points at them in different directions to get use to the weight and looks.

"Now I'm giving you thirty rounds since those guns can carry up to eight, so take thirty and times it by eight. What do you get?" Pearl thought about it for a bit, till Marina gave her the answer.

"two hundred and forty rounds?" Pearl's jaw dropped a bit, surprised by the large number of bullets given.

"W-Wow thats...a lot of rounds in one gun. Thats so cool!" Marina then got confused on why they needed rounds, rather than they're regular ink.

"Um Onyx...how are we going to stop them with these types of guns if we can just spray them with our own ink?" Onyx turns to her. 

"Because regular ink will have no effect to them. The police and other authorities have done everything they can, but nothing works on them. So I made a special ink that can kill them with a few shots. So..." Onyx loads her guns up. "Have you ever watched a zombie movie before?" Pearl's ears perked up a bit from behind her bobby haircut tentacles.

"I have...what? Is this something like that? Are we going to fight actual zombie inklings and octolings?" Onyx gets back up and nods. 

"I do not have a good feeling about all this..." Marina said softly to Pearl. "What if she's lying?"

Pearl looks at her and shakes her head. "She seems serious about all this. Think about it, Rina...we were attacked by those...inklings...even if I was having a bit of a hangover, I still remembered what happened." Marina's eyes go to the floor as Onyx was now waiting for the due to follow her out the door.

Pearl noticed the sadness and nervousness in her and places a hand onto Marina's shoulder.

"We will get through this nightmare together OK? I will protect you, Marina. With my life..."

Marina's eyes flashed in worry and in surprise to those words that Pearl spoke. It gave her a fuzzy safe feeling, yet a sense of dread, since she said the words; "with her life". But Marina agrees with her smaller friend, smiled, and nodded.

"O-OK Pearlie...I believe you...Because I trust you..." Marina teared up, but caught herself in the moment, and wiped away the tears. Pearl gently grabbed her hand and led her out the door, where Onyx, was patiently waiting.

"Are y'all ready for this?" Onyx asked them in a serious tone.

"Yep!" Pearl spoke with triumph in her voice.

"Not really..." Marina spoke with nervousness in hers.

"Same. Now, lets go, and save everyone..."

Not just everyone, but Inkopolis...Yet not just Inkopolis...But the world.

~Meanwhile in Octo valley.~

Lea and Riley a.k.a agents three and eight, were heading to the Squidbeak Splatoon base, which was near Octo valley. They were heading up there to meet up with agents one, two, four and the captain a.k.a captain cuttlefish. 

The problem was...they were two hours late. Because someone forget to set the alarm.

"Ah agents three and agent eight! Happy to see that both of you are still here with us! We got worried sick that you both were those things out there!" Cuttlefish exclaimed in surprised and relief.

"Sorry we're late cap, it just we slept in a couple of hours after you called. A certain someone forgot to set the alarm." Agent three says with a smirk, looking over to agent eight.

"We're sorry, really...its just...we forgot to..." Agent eight blushed a bit, remembering what happened last night and sticked her tongue out at three, which she blushed a little bit herself and chuckled at the innocent, shorter octoling.

"Its all good! We just wanted both of you to be okay before we have to face off a much greater danger than DJ Octavio stealing the great zapfish." Cuttlefish says with a hint of worry in his voice. "We have never faced anything like this, agents. This will be a very risky mission saving the world once again, like when that crazy phone did it, but failed, all thanks to you agent 8." Riley scratched the back of her neck, nervously chuckling to herself, and Lea found it cute seeing the octoling chuckle nervously from her heroic actions.

"Except that three here, slept through the loudest booyah." Out of all the times agent three wasn't much in use, was sleeping through a special that obliterated the NILS statue.

"R--Eight...Please don't remind me, I know..." Three had to stop herself from saying agent eights real name in front of the captain. Eight couldn't help, but laugh at agent three's remark on that time she was passed out during her fight with commander TarTar.

"Sup guys?!" A low female voice broke through the conversation with agents three, eight and captain cuttlefish as a orange inkling jumped in.

"Sup agents three and eight?! Where've y'all been---AH!" The orange inkling yipped when Marie came in from behind and smacked the inkling across the head.

"Can you not be loud for once agent four? We get the message. Agents three and eight are late, so no need to push it in they're face." Marie remarked at agent four. Agent four, on the other hand, sticked her tongue out at Marie and making a "mlem" sound, which caused Marie's face to heat up a bit, which she crossed her arms, tapping her finger and huffed. "Your such a child, agent four..." Agent four on the other hand took it as a compliment and giggled. "And you l---" Which she, also was cut off by Callie, who just rushed in.

"Hi everyone! Agents three and eight your finally here! We were like waiting for you two!" Callie was in her agent one suit, which Marie was a bit thankful of that she didn't forget this time.

"Sorry Callie, we woke up late, we got your message, but...we got here late." Riley said as she wrapped her arm around Lea, which she blushed deeply and turned her head away, grumbling, being the disastrous lesbian she was. "Aw! Both of you are so cute!" Agent four chimed.

"Oi! Everyone! This is serious time." Marie also chimed in which made agent four whine a little bit, and getting everyone else's attention.

"Listen, this is a very serious situation we have upon our hands. Something or someone are causing inklings and octolings included, to become these things that attack people, and in turn, become those things too. We need to find the cause of the problem, and stop it before everything and everyone is destroyed. We have dealt with this type of problem when DJ Octavio stole the great zapfish, but this time, he isn't the culprit of all of this, since he's still in that snow globe." She points to the direction of DJ Octavio still in his imprisoned state in a snow globe, which he was asleep, and agent four chuckled. "This is something far more dangerous than losing power to the city and being wiped out. We're talking about an apocalyptic scenario. We are all going to be extinct if we don't stop this plague thats killing everyone." Marie said in a serious but with leadership in her voice.

"Alright everyone, be safe and go safe the world!" Cuttlefish exclaimed with confidence in his voice, which agents three and two just rolled they're eyes.

"What about you, gramps? Are you going to be alright by yourself...?" Callie asked with worry and a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"I'll be OK, Callie. I have been through many sufferings before, and I can live through it again. All I care about is that you are safe with your frien---I mean agents. Now go. Time is in your hands." Cuttlefish said. Callie's eyes watered a bit. Sniffling, she hugged Cuttlefish. Marie smiled through her white mask and waited for her cousin to get done hugging her grandfather.

"Come on Callie! He'll be fine. We've got a mission to do: saving the world." Callie wiped away the fresh tears that were going to go down her face. "I-I'm coming!" She went over to Marie aka agent two. "Let's not let the others wait on us okay?" Callie nodded and followed Marie and the other agents down the drain and into the city of Inkopolis that awaits them.

"Be safe, my dearest grand-daughters. Good luck out there agents three, four and eight. I hope all of you make it out alive and well." Cuttlefish muttered trying not to cry himself, as he feared that this...maybe the last time he's ever going to see them again, as he walked into his shack and shuts the door.


	5. Getting prepared for the worst to come

Marie and Callie finally meet up with the other agents, which they were patiently waiting for them. Agent three was a very patient squid, since she has gotten into dangerous situations before. So was Agent eight, but she was more respectful with her patience. Yet agent four, wasn't patient, and she was a go-getter type, which was why she would work overtime, no matter how many times Marie told her to rest, but the orange inkling was hyper and full of energy, so there was no way for her to stop if necessary.

"Its about time you two got here." Agent three says with a low monotone voice, which agent eight, didn't really like, but she had to live with it since she loved this athletic and hard-working squid.

"At least have some patience, three." Marie responded with the same tone in her voice, which Callie and agent four chuckled, yet the small octoling next to three, tried to calm her down by wrapping her arm around the more toned arm of the squid, which in turn lead to three to look at eight with a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Alright everyone, listen close." Marie starts. "We need to find out who is behind this madness that is causing inklings and octolings to mysteriously disappear. Watch out for anyone who seems infected, especially those who have red colored tentacles. However even the authorities have tried to take them down, yet they keep coming. So we all need to be careful when fighting these things, the only way to fight them, is through them." Everyone was very concerned about this statement that Marie stated.

"But...Marie...How can we fight them if we can't use our own ink...?" Callie said in worry.

"We will make weapons." Marie responds.

"Making...weapons? How can we make weapons if there isn't anything useful---oh...OOOOOOH! So your saying we have to do things like the old way?" Callie says in interest.

"Correct...so we'll have to give up our weapons that we have been using that we have became a custom to it, and start anew." Marie confirming her suggestion to Callie.

"So if we're gonna make our own weapons, then how are we gonna get the materials we need?" Agent three then spoke up. "Since those things basically absorb our ink...?" Three added.

"If we can find Sheldon, then we should be golden..." Agent eight then spoke up, and agent four agreed with her. 

"I agree, if we're gonna be fighting these things, the least we can do, is to find the man that makes us these weapons for us!" Agent four chirped. However everyone gave them looks of guilt. "What? Am I right? Guys?" Agent four became a bit uncomfortable by everyone just looking at her like as if she looked like a homeless person who's begging.

"Sheldon has evacuated with everyone else, so we cannot go to him, agent four." Three chimed in from everyone going suddenly silent, agent eight groaned in pity, and agent four developing a shocked expression. 

"We all wish he was here too, four. Its just...I don't think he'll survive with us. Sure, the guy can make weapons, and is a total nerd, yet talks a lot, but we need to do this on our own." Marie spoke and placed a comforting hand on agent fours shoulder, agent four lowered her head, which made Marie, from the bottom of her heart, feel bad for the young orange squid.

"I hope he'll be OK while we're gone..." Callie somewhat squeaked when seeing her own cousin trying to comfort the poor, orange inkling, while everyone else just stared in awe. "Both of you are so cuuuuuuuute!" Callie couldn't contain her inner joy, and Marie groaned from the moment being ruined from Callie's childish reaction. Agent three and eight, even being together, knew the feeling.

Agent eight sighed, which agent three caught. "Hey..." Agents three voice caught the attention of the young octoling. "Y-Yeah...?" Agent eight responded. Three then bends down a bit to the height of the smaller octoling. "Whats troubling you, Riley?" Of course, three had to call her by her real name, which made the smaller octoling blush a bit. "I-I'm OK...its just...I hope..." Riley lowered her head as she pressed on to her answer.

"I just hope both Pearl and Marina are OK." Three's heart ached a bit seeing her octoling crumble from being concerned to the people she looks up as if they're both her mothers. Three gently hugged eight, which in turn, eight hugged back. "They will be OK, Riley...I promise...I'm sure they are in a safe place, while the city has evacuated." Three moved Riley's tentacle out of her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead, which comforted Riley immediately.

"OK Lea, I...I believe you." Riley smiled, feeling relieved again.

Lea loved it when the smaller octoling called her real name rather than three, which is just a stupid nickname from the time she was recruited to be in The New Squidbeak Splatoon five years back, and ever since stuck with her.

"Oi! Agents three and eight! Come on! We got a world to save!" Marie's voice boomed, getting both agents their attention.

"Don't get all mushy gushy! Lets go and go kick some a---" Four was interrupted by Marie whacking her in the face with her hand.

"Language four! We're in front of innocent people!" Three and eight walked passed Marie and four. However, agent eight wasn't really innocent, since her and agent three got a bit...touchy...before they were called up here.

"Aw come on Marie! I'm just sayin---"

"Just don't cuss OK?"

Agent four and Marie continue their arguing with each other for awhile till Callie chimed in.

"Cod...both of you sound and bicker like a old married, you do realize that?" Agent eight chuckled, Three smiled a bit, while Four and Marie were blushing ashamed.

"SHUT UP CALLIE!!!" they both spoke in unison. "Alright Alright sorry! heheheh!" Callie spoke with a cheeky smile. And so our hero's go off to find anything they can use for making weapons.

~Meanwhile with Off The Hook~

Onyx, Pearl and Marina were in a vehicle driving in a highway. Onyx being the driver, while Marina sat in the back and Pearl sitting in the front. They were listening to some music on the radio, to whats left of it, since the radio station from far away hasn't been working for the past week since everything has went to shit. Its been a couple of hours since our hero's have left their city to find where the laboratory is located, but it'll be a long journey from there on.

Onyx tapped her fingers on the steering wheel calming, as she listens to whatever playlist Pearl was playing, since it would go to her recent songs to garbage rock music. Onyx chuckled hearing the song: #$@% Dudes be #$@% sleeping, even if the song was giving her a headache as a younger version of Pearl was screaming in the microphone.

"Aw yeah! This is my shit!" Pearl yelled as she made guitar motions, as if she was playing a guitar, yet an invisible guitar in her hands. Onyx rolled her eyes, letting the older squid have her fun. Marina chuckled seeing her friend have fun in the car as they listen to one of Pearl's terrible rock songs, but Marina remained respectful towards her friend. Onyx huffed in relief after the song ended, thankful that she couldn't take anymore torment produce by Pearl's old band.

Another hour passes, and Pearl groaned in boredom.

"UGGGGGGGHHHH!!!...How much longer till we can stop by and pop some snacks, yo?! We've been in this car for a long time, and I'm gettin hungry!" Pearl said with annoyance in her voice. Marina calmly placed her hand onto the smaller squids shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Patience Pearlie, I'm sure she'll take us somewhere to eat." Marina said trying to calm down the fuming smaller squid in the front seat.

"If there was a gas station near us, then I would take us, but right now, we're in the middle of nowhere. So...It'll take awhile." Onyx calmly stated. Pearl on the other hand, was not having it.

"But you said that, like thirty minutes ago!" Onyx suddenly then stops the car and Pearl hits her head onto the glass. "AGH!!! My head!" Pearl holds her head in her hands, as she hissed in pain. 

"Pearl. Stop your complaining...You can wait till dusk for food. I've packed us food that'll last us a month, so stop your bitching, and deal with it. We will eat in an hour." Onyx points at the clock and it reads: 5:28 p.m. Pearl glared and Onyx and she lets out a dramatic sigh in frustration and crosses her arms, pouting. Marina then looked at Onyx with a glare, and leaned back into her seat sighing, knowing Onyx is right. They'll have to wait for a bit.

Another twenty minutes pass and Pearl groaned impatiently as she held her stomach. Her stomach groaned in hunger. Marina huffed as her stomach growled a little itself. Onyx lets out a huff in annoyance and stops the car, getting the message.

"Lets break here." Onyx gets out, looking at the sun just setting on the horizon. She heads to the back of the car, and pulls out canned food with some utensils. Both Pearl and Marina come out themselves seeing Onyx getting food.

"Alright, you'll get yourselves some canned beans. We're gonna need this food for as long as we can, because I don't wanna hear it when we're running low." Onyx hands the duo the open canned beans and hands them some plastic forks and shuts the trunk.

"We'll take a break here, and once your both done, we're back on the road." Onyx said and then goes to sit down on top of the car, looking at the early sunset. Marina sits back in the back seat and eats the can of beans. Pearl then joined the backseat with Marina, and sat on the opposite end of the back seat.

"So...Rina..." Pearl starts. Marina lifts her head up to meet Pearls golden eyes. "I have a question..." Marina swallowed the chewed beans, and lowered her fork in curiosity. "Ask away Pearlie." Marina then said. Pearl then sighed after taking a breath. She was gonna ask her about her past. Pearl knew it was a touchy subject with Marina when it came to her past.

"So...Do ya have anything with Onyx? Like y'know...How did y'all meet in the first place?"

Marina's lips parted when Pearl asked her "that" question, that they agreed on not asking, and Marina's shoulders sagged as she looked to the side. "A-Ah...Rina I...I didn't mean...ah shit...I'm sorry Mar...I've should've asked." Pearl mentally slapped herself for having the compulsion to ask such a thing. However Pearl flinched a bit when a larger hand was placed onto her shoulder. Pearl opened her own eyes meeting a set of unique eyes staring back at her, which made her ears blush a tinge of pink, along with her cheeks.

"No...Its OK...I should tell you...I know you have told me about your past, and how you've told me the time you received that nasty lightning shaped looking scar on your right hand...But I think it's time I tell you mine...even if I hate looking back on it.

"Mar...you...you don't have to tell me, if your still not comfortable about it." Pearl's ears drooped a bit behind her bobby haircut feeling pity for the taller octoling.

Marina sighed and smiled at Pearl's patience and pity. However, that smile went away, knowing she'll have to spit it out eventually. "Well Pearlie...I will tell you...if..." There came a devious looking smile on Marina's face, which sent chills down the smaller squids non-existent spine. "If you can just tell me on that "bad" dream you had earlier today." Pearl's face became...pale when the taller octoling mentions about Pearl's bad dream from this morning. She bit her lip, looking to the side. The dream wasn't a bad one, no...it was a nightmare. Seeing Marina in such a devilish and gory state made Pearl wanna puke and cry. Marina immediately picked up on the signs that Pearl really did not want to talk about it. Marina's face then made a scowled look. Angry at herself on why she would ask that now. She then bared her fangs and balled her hands into fists, she knew that Pearl personally didn't wanna talk about it.

However before hatred and anger filled Marina's thoughts, Marina was then given a tackled hug by her smaller friend.

"H-Huh?" Marina lets out a grunt, feeling Pearl hug her suddenly.

"M-Marina...I don't want to lose you...I...I don't want to see you as those things that Onyx claims. Please Marina...Don't become those things...I would never forgive myself if I...I..." Marina realized that was Pearl's dream. Her becoming those things out there, and possibly attacking her friends. Marina felt disgusted with herself, but quickly brushed it off when she felt her shirt becoming a bit damp from Pearl's tears. And so, Marina gently grabbed Pearl to sit her up, so she can face her easier.

"Pearl...look at me...I'm right here with you, aren't I? I'm not whatever is out there that you saw me as, but that won't happen...and Pearl..." Pearl then looks up at her taller friend, which she was pulled into a tight, yet comforting hug. "I hate it when you cry...so please don't cry...like you said, we'll pull through this nightmare, together. Right?" Marina pulled away, still having her arms around Pearl. The smaller squid sighed and nodded her head, giving a confident grin on her face.

"Y-Yeah...! We'll kick anything and anyone's ass! We're a team! We're Off The Hook!"

Marina smiled at Pearl triumph her sorrows away, and gain her confidence back, which Marina just absolutely adored. 

"Oh Pearlie..." Marina then placed a kiss on the smaller squids forehead. "Your so cute." Pearl lets out a squeak, yet relaxed after given a peck on the forehead, which Pearl wished it lasted longer when a certain pair of icy blue eyes stared back at the due.

"Hey both of you." Onyx chimed and the duo immediately scooted away from one and another. "Y'all ready to hit the road, or your too busy being all doki doki on each other?" Which Onyx sneered teasingly.

"WE'RE READY!" Pearl and Marina both spoke in unison, which caused Onyx to bust out laughing. "Oh my god...both of you are so obvious..." Onyx then faced back the steering wheel, and started the car, and began the drive.

Marina and Pearl both were blushing in the back seat, which they turned away from each other with smiles on their faces and with nervous shaking hands.

~Back with Squidbeak Splatoon~

Callie, Marie, and the agents were all heading to the Walleye Warehouse to get some tools. Agents three grabs some parts from a box that contain parts to a splattershot guns, blasters, buckets and some splatling guns as well. Agent eight walks over, watching over agent three searching for some parts to combine them into something useful. Eight smiled once three got what she wanted.

"Lea...What are you making...?" Riley spoke in a cute tone which three flinched and blushed red, being the disastrous lesbian that she is. "Uh...Um...Riley...I-I'm still looking, love." Agent three tried to confident with her words, yet she still stumbled with her wording.

"Heh. Well...I made this." Riley pulled out a pipe that had rope on it, that held on a large spike that was cut from a charger part. Lea was a bit stunned seeing Riley create a spear out of metal.

"O-Oh um...Riley...be careful with that, when your swinging it around." Lea suggested to Riley, which Riley realized it and puts it away, by placing it behind her back.

"Heheh sorry, Lea." Three couldn't help, but develop a smirk and raising an eyebrow, staring down at the smaller octoling below her.

"Its fine, just be careful with that weapon, sweetheart." Lea gave the smaller octoling a quick peck on the nose, which Riley giggled cutely. Lea just can't get enough of this cute octoling.

"Hey! Love birds! We got the stuff we need! Hurry it up and lets go!" Agent 4 voice boomed and alerted the other agents. Three immediately returned her standing up posture when four chimed in.

"Damnit four, do you have to be annoying?" Three said in annoyance. "I am annoyingly adorable, three!" Four said with confidence. 

"Who told you that?" Three says with a smirk. Before four could speak, Marie covers her mouth.

"Shut up, four. Do you really have to tell them that?" Marie had a bit of a green tinge on her ears and cheeks from blushing. Callie snickered seeing that her cousin has a crush on four, but can't admit it. Agents three and eight chuckled seeing them getting all embarrassed over a comment from four.

"So agent three, four and eight? Y'all have everything you need to make a weapon?" Four pulls out a baseball back with spiky wire wrapped around nails, and a tied down spike on the handle of the bat. "Nice work four. What about you agents three and eight? You got anything good?" Agent three pulls out some chains and a pair of gloves and some metal pieces put into place with rope, and agent eight pulls out a axe. It was made with scraps of metal, a broken pole and rope. "Well hey at least agent eight's weapon is more original than three's." Four spoke with some sass in her voice. Three then gave four a bit of a glare, however eight chimed in.

"Aw thanks you, four!" Eight said being naive to fours comment. Four was a bit confused on eight statement. Three continued to glare at four, and four said 'your welcome', and three softened her expression. "Alright guys lets not get all hostile here." Marie spoke up. However agent eight phone then rang.

"Its Marina guys, excuse me." Eight leaves the room for a minute.

"Is she and Pearl OK?" Agent four said in worry.

"I'm sure they're fine, four." Three responded.

"But, why are they calling now?" Callie asked.

"Don't know..." Marie spoke with suspicion.

Eight comes back with a determined look. "So whats up eight? They alright?" Four asked eight. 

"Well...I actually got a call from someone from the other end that I don't know who, but, they said that they have Marina and Pearl. Now, before you guys ask 'are they kidnapped?' No they weren't kidnapped, the person on the other end said to follow them on the map their gonna give us. To show us the location of where it's all happening." Eight pulls out her phone as a hologram of the map given to them was displayed.

"Who sent this to you?" Three asked.

"Well... It did come from Marina, however a person named Onyx just told us to follow her is all." Three's eyes widened hearing that name. Her eyebrows furrowed with anger, remembering the times that she was splatted by that octoling in some levels, when trying to save Inkopolis five years ago. 

"Lea? Are you OK?" Agent eights voice spoke up which interrupted three's thoughts. 

"Huh? Oh...I'm fine, eight. Don't worry." Three pets eights head gently and examines the map.

"It looks like some kind of factory or laboratory in the mountains." Marie said, looking at the map. 

"In the mountains?...Wait...that location...Thats...actually far away from Octo valley." Callie replied. 

"Its still in Mt Nantai, but still further away from Octo valley." Four stepped in once Marie finished.

"So we're following Marina, Pearl and this 'Onyx' person to a run down lab? That's suspiciously across Mt Nantai?" Three asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Well it is our best bet to meet them up there. It seems to be thats the location they're heading." Eight responded to four's question.

"Well looks like we have no choice, but to take a vehicle with us." Three begins walking out with eight, and so everyone else follows. Our hero's eventually finds a functional car that they can use for a road trip. They placed all of their new weapons into the trunk of the car, and gets inside. The Squid Sisters get the front seats, while the agents get the backseats.

"Please don't kiss in the car, while I'm here OK?" Four said with some sass, however three gave her a death glare, which four turned away quickly. "U-Uh...forget what I said!" Four shuts up finally. "What did she say, Lea?" Eight asked Three confused. Three just simply smiled and moved a tentacle out of the octolings face. "Don't worry about it, love. She's just jealous you and I are together." Riley giggled and gave Lea a peck on the cheek, which four made a disgusted motion with her mouth and pointed hand. 

"Alright everyone, are we ready?" Marie said as she starts the engine of the car. Everyone said yes and Marie pushes onto the gas, and puts the location that the mysterious octoling gave them, and heads to that direction.


	6. A late night disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearlina up ahead in this and gore warning.

It was now around ten o'clock at night, and it was Marina's turn to drive, since they made a routine to switch every hour during their trip to get to the lab. However, things weren't going too smoothly with Marina being the driver. Sure, she was an night owl, but due to her sleep schedule being all screwed up, she would go to sleep later and later, or more early than usual. Marina, however was trying to stay awake during her chance with the wheel, because every thirty seconds she would begin to doze off, but return to her awake state. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay awake on the road.

She really wanted to switch places with Onyx and let her drive, since she knew where they're going, however she turned over and saw her asleep. Having her head held up by her hand and her elbow being on the door of the car, and gently breathing through her parted lips. Pearl was also asleep having the entire backseat to herself, and using it as a bed. It felt like torture for Marina, driving at late hours, in the middle of nowhere and being the only soul awake while her friends asleep. She groaned in tired frustration, feeling as if she needs to relentlessly travel the road with no sleep what so ever.

However, Marina's eye lids began to feel heavy and close on they're own. Her head slowly lowering, as her hands loosened more and more from the steering wheel, and her breathing began to grow slower and heavier. Marina was passing out when suddenly, the car's tire hit a rock, which jolted Marina awake and straightened the car to its previous position. It did come from Onyx's side, which aroused the octoling awake. Onyx's eyelids opened, and saw that it was dark out, and Marina was still on the wheel. She yawned and sits herself up. Marina, however after about three minutes, the same process happened again. Her eyes growing heavy and closing, her lowering her head and loosening her grip on the steering wheel. Onyx noticed this, and pats Marina's shoulder, which got the octoling's attention.

"H-Huh? What is it?" Marina looked at Onyx tiredly. 

"Marina...how long have you been driving...? Its been longer than an hour. I would let you sleep, but you need to wake me up next time." Marina then stopped the car.

"I...I am very...very tired, Onyx...Can we...switch seats...?" Onyx rolled her eyes and nodded and so Marina slowly stops the car. Onyx and Marina both gets out of the car. Onyx went over to the drivers seat, while Marina trudged to the front seat. Onyx however, didn't get in the car, instead she looked around the dark abyss of the night and horizon of the country side they we're in. They were close to Mt Nantai, since the moon illuminated the mountains silhouettes head of them. Marina was just about to get in the car, when suddenly something sprang out of nowhere, causing her to scream. 

"Marina!" Onyx screamed as she grabbed the shotgun that was given to Marina since two days ago. She went over with a flashlight and saw Marina on the ground, struggling to get a red colored inkling off of her. The inkling had one hand pinning down Marina on her chest, while the other one seemed missing. Even that, the entire bottom half was completely missing. Blood or red colored ink was gushing from that side, which the same for his arm, as remaining muscle tissue and innards was hanging off of the dismembered parts.

Onyx aimed the gun at crazed inkling, who's jaw kept biting and biting, trying to bite at Marina's face, however Marina's hand was on the cheek of the inkling, avoiding trying not to get bit. Pearl comes out hearing the commotion. She screamed, seeing Marina trying to push away the insane, red inkling.

"Get off of her, asshole!" Pearl punched the inkling, which it barely finch, and it screamed at Pearl and slashed its claws at Pearl, but missed. Even for that, Onyx finally pulled the trigger, and the inkling was flung off of Marina before it could cause more damage. Onyx walked over to the infected inkling, which was shot on the side of its torso, as a mix of black and red poured out, and where he was shot left a hole in its chest. He tried to get up with one arm, but failed. He lets out a blood curdling, breathy screech, as he tried to claw as Onyx's foot. but was then shot in the head.

Pearl and Marina both looked at Onyx with shocked expressions after Onyx turned around to face them. Marina was now standing back up when Pearl pulled her off the ground.

"His entire bottom part of his torso was missing..." Marina said through the shock in her voice. Pearl tried to comfort her by rubbing the taller octolings back. Onyx remembered that time Marina drove over that rock before that cause Onyx to wake up. And so Onyx went over to the dried out corpse of the infected inkling, and examined his body after bending down for a closer look. Apparently...there was a tire mark on its body, which was half of that mark and the other part was missing. Onyx then stood back up and went over to the duo.

However before Onyx could tell the duo about it, she then heard growling and snarling in the distance. More and more of the voices were getting closer and closer, and soon the duo heard it. "Whats that?" Pearl spotted a pair of red glowing eyes coming towards they're direction, as more eyes followed in.

"Hurry, back into the car." Onyx stated directly and sternly. The duo did as told and Onyx got into the drivers seat and sped off. "They've been following us." Pearl then spoke up, holding onto the seat. 

"Who's following us!?" And so, the screams filled the ears of the duo, answering their question as they saw the inklings and octolings running after them. Not even having a care in the world to do everything in they're power to at least get they're claws in the duo and Onyx.

"Both of you! Get your guns, and start shooting them! We cannot let them follow us!" Pearl grabbed her dual wielding guns and began to shoot away at the zombified, crazed, blood colored inklings and octolings. Marina on the other hand, was a bit hesitant, but began shooting them as well. After awhile, the infected inklings and octolings backed off from the duo shooting them.

After a few minutes, both Marina and Pearl were now very exhausted, However Marina was the first to fall asleep finally able to rest her aching body. Pearl watched Marina for a good five minutes until she finally rested her head onto the octolings lap. Pearl smiled a little embarrassed seeing a more clearer view from below. Sure, Pearl was like a foot and a half smaller than the octoling above her, but it still gave her butterflies. Then Pearl finally broke the silence as she was slowly falling asleep on Marina's lap.

"Yo...Onyx? What happened back there? And...why was that crazy guy missing his lower half...?" Pearl spoke quietly, even in that tone, Onyx heard it nonetheless, and gave her an answer a few minutes later right before Pearl drifted off to sleep.

"Pearl...I don't think that was a rock that Marina ran over..."

Onyx continued to drive down the road that leads to Mt. Nantai. She then goes off the road to drive onto the dirt since the road would lead down a cliff. So, defying the laws of the road, and so goes off road. She continued to drive through the deserted meadows and partially a desert of a mountain. She was heading towards the location of where they needed to go, and that was that abandoned laboratory. However, Onyx had seconds thoughts about bringing two idles to the whole ordeal with her, but she can't turn back now. They have seen the horror already, and Onyx can't fix it.

Onyx continued to drive, till she sees a very old abandoned shack sticking out of the butt crack of the desert. She heads over there and stopped the car once she was close enough to inspect it. She saw that it was a two story home, made of wood and brick, and it had boards over the windows and the place was in rough shape. Like it would fall apart if they even stepped one foot in there.

So, Onyx leaves the car, shuts it off, and locks it, so no one could open it. She pulled out a hand made pistol that she crafted when she went to the ocean, and during her trips she would go to Grizzco just to work for a bit, but half of the time she was finding junk, and eating eggs. She cocks the gun, so its loaded and slowly heads to the house. 

The inside was very old and the smell of dust was strong and something that she couldn't put her finger on, and continued to search the house to see if its safe to stay for the night. She checked the rooms, bathrooms, attic, closets and even the basement. However, when she went to search the basement, it had a very rotten smell to it. her nose scrunched from the foul odor, as her movements we're now slower. She also felt uneasy, like as she wasn't alone down here, because a noise was then present in the room.

She then turned around to the noise and saw a figure. The figure looked gangly and the claws shimmered in the light of Onyx's phone light. The figure then lets out a screech and lunged forward to Onyx, which she then shot it in its knee and chest. It tripped and fell onto the floor as blood and ink gushed out of the shot areas. The octoling lets out a pained moan like growl as it reached its clawed hand out to Onyx which she points the gun to its head.

But before Onyx pulled the trigger, in the nick of time, the crazed zombified octoling spoke.

"...Tas...uk...ete..." The octoling was then shot in the head and it fell to the floor and was limp. The body dried out immediately, crusting over and becoming stiff as a statue.

"I just did..." Onyx answered the plea to the now dead octoling on the floor. She then leaves the basement, and locking it. 

She sighed softly and a wave of guilt washed onto her. How did she hear a sentient dead body of someone talk? Most of the zombified Inklings and octolings that she has encountered never talked, what came out was vicious growling and snarls, similar to a canine would make. She then leaves the house and unlocks the car. She looked at the sleeping idols, and begins to question if she should leave them here and sleep or go inside the house and sleep. However, she chose the second suggestion and then snaps her fingers onto Pearl's ear.

The smaller inkling who was cuddling the taller octoling in her small arms, begins to wake up. Groaning in annoyance, her golden eyes reveal themselves from her closed eyelids like curtains revealing the character onto a stage. She looked to the source that woke her up and sees Onyx's tense eyes stare back at her.

"Hey Pearl, you awake yet?" Onyx asked and patiently waited for the half asleep inkling.

"I am now." Pearl spoke with a husky tone after been woken up from her slumber. "Whatcha want now?" Pearl yawned sleepily as Onyx checks the area left and right.

"I have found us a shack for us to sleep in. Its like two stories high, so I think its enough for three people. Now get up and wake up Marina. You can go back to sleep when I find both of you a bed to sleep on." Onyx finished as she heads towards the house. Pearl huffed a bit and she gently shakes Marina awake, which aroused the octoling enough to be woken up in her deep slumber.

"...mmm...Pearlie...five...more minutessss..." Marina's husky tone of voice when being woken up, always made Pearl shiver a little and also blush. It was sorta a guilty pleasure that she had, but she had to hide it.

"Hey Rina, Onyx found us a place to sleep. Come on, and get up. You can go straight to bed afterwards, OK?" Pearl said with some comfort in her voice, just to assure that Marina can rest once more once there was a bed to sleep on. Marina's emerald eyes finally opened, looking down at Pearl.

The position that they were in was that Pearl was on top and Marina being on the bottom. Marina's arms wrapped around Pearl's waist, gently pressing her against her on torso, and Pearl has a leg that was wrapped around Marina's leg as well. Pearl had to get up, so Marina could get up as well. 

Once in the house, Onyx dusted off some pillows and sheets off of a bed from upstairs for both Pearl and Marina to use, since there wasn't a second bedroom in the house. Apparently the house was two stories, only made for two people who we're gonna be like house buddies. Once done, Onyx went downstairs to sleep on the couch downstairs and placed the guns on the table beside her if anything happens.

Pearl and Marina both slept on opposite sides of the bed, so it wasn't so awkward for the both of them. However, as the night goes on, it was around almost four in the morning when Pearl shot up from the bed that she's sharing with Marina. She was covered in cold sweat, and she had been crying too. She had 'that' dream again. She wanted to scream from having that dream again, seeing Marina like that. But instead it was just Marina, she was surrounded with a bunch of other infected inklings, all having that crazed look in they're soulless eyes. Marina had her arms held out with a dead smile on her face. Pearl wanted that horrid image of Marina from her memories to go away. Pearl felt like she's going to lose the very person she cared about so much eventually. She begins to cry once again, and whimper like sobs escaped her lips.

However, a certain octoling who was on the opposite side from the bed of her, wakes up. She was wondering why she heard soft crying and felt the inkling beside her shake.

"Mmm...P-Pearl...?" Marina wipes away the sleep from her eyes as she turns herself over towards the smaller squid. Pearl realized that she have might've woke up her friend on accident. She frantically wipes away the tears that escaped her eyes to hide the fact that she has been crying, but her shaky, croaked voice gave her away.

"M-Marina...U-Uh...No go back to bed...I'm O-OK..." Pearl knew deep down in her heart, that was a lie, and Marina wasn't stupid to let this slide again. Marina turned herself to face the smaller inkling with a serious look on her face. It was that seriousness in her eyes. Pearl felt a shiver go down her back, and gulped at the lump that was in her throat.

"Pearl...Did you have another nightmare again?" Marina spoke in a deeper tone. Pearl knew Marina was getting serious with her, yet she hated it when Marina found out about some stuff that Pearl would lie about or pretend to do something. She didn't want to upset the younger girl any further. She sighed, refusing the resist on the octoling for the last time. And so, she nodded to Marina's question.

Marina's eyes soften after eyeing the smaller inkling, when she knew she would lie, but thankfully, Pearl didn't.

"Aw Pearlie...Same one?" Marina asked curious.

Marina read her mind again. Pearl looks down and nods once more, which made Marina's heart ached. Marina then reached over to Pearl and gently hugged her.

"Pearlie...I'm OK, you know that I'm alright. Nothing bad will happen to me." Marina said in a comforting voice, which calmed Pearl's nerves. Pearl felt a lot much better now since Marina finally knew what Pearl has been having nightmares about. Pearl then wrapped her arms around Marina's waist, and nuzzled the right side of the octolings shoulder with her left cheek. But also, Pearl hoped that Marina was right about it. Marina's hand gently made a moving motion up and down on Pearl's back, stroking it. Marina didn't want the smaller inkling to blame herself or even beat herself up about a dream that she can't seem to fight against.

"I'm just so tired of this bullshit that we both have to deal with. I can't...let myself see you die. I don't want to put a bullet in your head if you we're ever---" Pearl was then silenced by a green clawed finger placed against her lips.

"Pearlie...shush. No more. I have heard enough." Marina's tone was back to her serious and low voice. Still, that voice no one could ever dare hear from her. Pearl, however, was the only one to hear this tone. It still sent shivers down Pearl's back, since she was so use to Marina's sweet, intelligent and compassionate personality.

It was like Marina was Jeykll and Hyde; she is the sweetest, most hard-working and intelligent person by day, but at night, she showed a more serious part to her personality. She would speak in a monotone, undertoned voice to show that she was serious. Onyx has seen it more than once, when Marina was working with her, when her and Onyx would argue or would have a problem to they're partnership down in the underground. Marina pulled away after a bit from comforting the smaller inkling. Pearl honestly wanted it to last longer, but, it was for the best the moment was going to become a bit awkward for them. Marina then placed a hand onto the right side of Pearl's cheek, and rubbed away the tears that streamed from her eyes. Pearl felt so much comfort and care from the other octoling who was just too sweet for her own good.

"Pearlie...Don't let those thoughts get to you. We can and will pull through this together, like you've said. So please Pearlie..."Marina then placed a gentle kiss on Pearl's forehead. Pearl closed her eyes, as a faint blush a pink tinted her cheeks and ear tips. Afterwards Marina pulled away again, and continued to stroke Pearl's cheek to further comfort the smaller inkling.

"Don't worry about the nightmare. I'm here. With you...Princess."

Pearl immediately relaxed from those words that Marina spoke. Pearl knew the octoling was very good with words. Pearl's relaxation caused her lips to part a bit, and her breathing becomes more soft with each breath. Marina couldn't help but to stare at the smaller inklings face. She found Pearl's face to look so relaxed and blissful. Marina then couldn't handle herself, but to stare at Pearl's lips, and slowly, but surely she began to move closer to Pearl's face. Pearl's golden eyes opened up slowly, however widened when she saw Marina's face get closer to her own. However, a impulse wanted her to move away, but her heart told her to stay in place. She closed her eyes once more when she feels Marina's breath against her pale, thin lips.

Pearl kept her eyes closed hoping something will happen, because it was beginning to feel like forever. One of Pearl's opened up to see what Marina was gonna do, till she felt a gentle and a soft pair of lips was pressed against hers. Pearl's eyes shot open feeling the pressure and sees Marina's eyes closed and she was actually doing it.

Marina was legit kissing her. 

Not like a quick peck, nor a fake one with two fingers. It was a long moment to admire the feeling of soft lips being pressed against each other, and being held close to the person you truly care for the most. Pearl's eyelids then shuts themselves on their own, as Pearl begins to accordingly kiss back. She honestly wanted to kiss Marina for awhile, but never found the courage to do it, and Marina, being the shy type, was the one to do it.

Apparently, Marina had more balls than Pearl.

After what felt like a eternity, both of them had to pull away for air. Both Marina and Pearl breathed for a bit, as they're breathing mingled together. Pearl looked up at Marina and seeing her hazy unique emerald greenish-blue eyes, she just couldn't resist to kiss the octoling once more. This time their kiss was a bit more heated than the first, as a moan escaped from Marina's throat. Pearl found this interesting and pulled away again for a brief moment, then going back to kissing her once more.

"Pearlie---mmm~." The innocence in Marina's voice was washed away from Pearl's hasty and lustful kisses.

Pearl loved hearing Marina moan against her lips. But actually it was a guilty pleasure that Pearl had when ever Marina moaned. After a few minutes of just push and pull on the kissing, Pearl pulled away, so both of them can breathe. Pearl sat up after being on top of Marina during their little session of kisses. Marina's breathing was audible through the darkness of the room that they we're sharing, as she laid onto the bed, on top of an octoling and is dizzy from that session they just shared. However, Pearl then felt a wave of drowsiness hit her hard. 

Due to everything that has happened to both Pearl and Marina for the past three days, its been getting harder for them to sleep, especially for Pearl. But all that worry washed away when they kissed.

"H-Hey...um...Rina...U-Um...lets go to bed...O-Ok...? W-We both n-need to be r-rested..." Pearl tried to keep her composure after kissing her best friend. Marina made a 'yeah' noise. And so, Pearl turned herself over to face the wall opposite from her friends side. Pearl internally screamed from what they just did. She felt a bit dominant when kissing her best friend, how Marina moaned from being pinned down and how needy Pearl's kisses we're. It was breathtaking after kissing someone she knew for a good almost six years, and there was nothing, until it finally clicked.

That night when they had that challenge was when she felt like it was a good time to kiss her from there. She was going to show Marina how much she loved her that night. However, when those inklings invaded, and the mysterious octoling named Onyx came to the picture, she had to push away her feelings once again. Yet, because she felt if they just kiss, Marina would be disgusted with her, but instead, she got the exact opposite reaction, which she was very thankful for. But now, all of her confidence to look at her friend was all gone. But, due to all of this happening, she couldn't help it. The octoling felt it too, but was it because they we're in a dire situation, and they just wanted comfort from each other? Or was it truly a feeling that have been waiting to let out?

However, as Pearl was in deep in her thoughts, she felt a pair of dark skinned toned arms wrap around her small waist, and was pulled close to the larger form behind her. Pearl's cheeks and the tips of her ears turned pink. Marina hummed gently after getting into contact with her smaller inkling. Throughout the night of silence, through quiet breathing and gentle touching from each other, the duo finally goes to sleep, and Pearl's night terrors just seem to all go away that night.

For now...


	7. Smooth sailing until disaster strikes yet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original was the first one was flipped with the other, so yeah.

Callie was on her phone, looking at inkstagram before any of the apps we're disabled, because of the wifi cutting out. Four was looking out the window, bored out of her mind, since her phone is already disabled. Marie continued driving the direction they all needed to head toward to. They we're close to Mt. Nantai, but it was so late at night. Eight and Three we're asleep on each other, softly snoring in the quiet car.

"UGH! I'm bored!" Are we even there yet?" Fours voice chimed in through the silence. Marie softly sighed in annoyance. Callie looked around the outside and sees its pitch black out there, but the moon illuminated the mountains ahead of them. Callie then started to become a bit worried. Even if they we're getting close to the mountains, it felt odd. 

"We're getting there, four. Just be patient." Callie clutched her phone in hand when she could've sworn she saw a pair of red eyes in the distance, even if it disappeared, Callie felt a chill go down her back.

"Hey, Marie? Is it just me, or does it feel like we're being watched?" Callie said in a bit of a shaken tone. Marie begins to feel anxious herself, as she looked through the pitch black void to the side of her rearview mirror.

"Y-Yeah, but we're like in the middle of nowhere, so we should be fine." Marie tried to smile through it towards Callie, yet the tension between them caused her to frown again. Four then noticed something in the distance.

"Um is it just me, or did I saw a pair of eyes in the distance? Thats some creepy shit there, man." Both Marie and Callie began to realize that they weren't alone out here.

Then, the three agents hear a shrilling scream in the background of they're car they we're in. Marie and Callie then looks out on the rear mirrors and sees a hoard of infected inklings and Callie shrieked, causing eight and three to wake up suddenly.

"WHAT!? WHAT'S GOING ON!? ARE WE UNDER ATTACK!?" Three screamed from being woken up suddenly.

"Why did you scream, Callie?" Eight asked in curiosity, unaware that a hoard of zombified inklings we're heading they're direction.

"We're being followed!" Four answered half of eight's and three's question.

"By who?" They said in unison.

Four points on the rear window of the car, and they see the hoard of growling, snapping, and clawing inkling and octolings running towards the group at fast speeds and they we're slowly getting closer towards the car. Four and Marie screamed and eight whimpered in fear watching this happen.

"What the hell!?" Three tried to keep her composure from not cussing in front of the smaller octoling, but failed. "What are those things?!" Three screamed again. Marie then sped on up.

"I don't know and I don't care, we need to get the fuck outta here!" Four said.

Eight hates hearing the curse words that produced in the other agents mouths, but she needed to focus the fact that they are being chased by hoards of the infected. It began to remind her of being underground, and being with the sanitized octolings and doing all of those tests. She begins to hyperventilate and three noticed this.

"E-Eight? Oh no...Not those episodes again...not now...!" Three tries to comfort eight, but it doesn't seem to work as then an infected inkling girl jumped onto the car, and its claws scraps in the glass and metal of the car, which eights hyperventilation worsen when Callie, Marie and Four screamed again. Three then grabbed the man-made weapon she made, clutched it in hand along with the smaller octoling in her other arms. Then suddenly the car swerved violently when an inkling shot itself onto the front of the car.

"Marie! Look out!" They we're about to head off a cliff, and Marie, stopped the car, causing three, four, eight and Callie to grunt and they stopped in time as the inkling fell down the cliff. Growls and screams from it disappeared as the same ones we're behind them getting closer and closer.

"Get us outta here!" Callie alerted the idol to continue driving away from the threat that was behind them. Marie backed away from the cliff side and drove away as fast as possible.

"We need to get them away from the car! They'll destroy it if we continue to drive! Four, three and eight! You three need to lure them away in whatever shape and form!" Callie spoke up and pulled out a man-made weapon she made and opened up the window to get one of the infected inklings crawling on the car, and smashed its head. Four does the same by bashing an octolings face in as well. Marie then noticed a trench like entrance gaining ahead in the distance of the darkness from the faint headlights directing them.

"Guys! We'll need to destroy the rocks above the trench gaining ahead!" This statement got four the idea.

"Aye, aye captain!" Four would make this joke for Marie when she got the chance, but this is a serious life or death situation that they need to time it right, or they die. Four then climbs out on top of the roof of the car, getting a bomb ready to throw on top of the rocks above the trench. Marie hoped the cod that four be OK. Callie gets one of the infected inkling to get off of the car and then yelled.

"I'll give you the signal, four! Get ready!" Callie then gets her head back inside, however eight screamed when one got inside the car by the open window that four made. Three rushed in and kicked the infected octolings face multiple times until it finally flew off of the car, and onto the ground. The group was slowly getting closer to the trenches.

"Guys! Anytime now!" Four yelled in worry as more was getting onto the car, as four bashed a few in the skulls and red ink and blood was splashing everywhere. Callie waits for a moment till they got even closer.

It was now or never.

Callie sticks her head out the window once more.

"Its now or never, four!" Callie alerted the agent. Four grabbed a splat bomb, and then threw it. It lands on top of the rock and just at the brink of time, four got back into the car, before the walls got too low and narrow for four to be crushed. The bomb blows up and chunks of rock falls onto the infected hoard, killing some and trapping some.

"WHOO HOO! HOME FREE, BABY!!!" Four yelled triumphed with her work. Callie laughed along with four, and Marie sighed in relief and chuckled. 

"You did good, four. I am proud of you." Four then got an orange blush on her face, chuckled softly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Three continued to hold eight as her little PTSD panic attack subsided. Three then begins to stroke the smaller octolings head as her eyebrow's furrowed in worry for the octoling.

"Riley...its OK, love. Your OK." Three spoke in a calmer and more quieter tone so the octoling was comfortable again. Riley eventually lifted her head up, and looks at three with tears in her eyes still. Three rubbed away the remaining tears off of Riley's face. "There you are, love. See? Your OK." Three reassured the octoling in her arms.

"Lea...I hate having these panic attacks...this scenario reminds me so much of the underground...those inklings...those octolings...they aren't normal...I'm scared, Lea." Lea then hugged the octoling tightly, kissing the smaller girls head.

"I know. Thats the third time this month, but don't worry. The nightmares and flashbacks will go away, love. I promise." Lea placed another kiss on the octolings forehead. Riley nods, feeling a lot better and reassured that everything will be fine.

For now, the group continued to drive through the mountains trying to avoid any conflict with the infected hoard or anything thats infected as they drove through the night.

~The next morning~

The next morning, the sun rays beamed through the window above the bed below. And on that bed was two forms: Marina and Pearl. Marina was spooning Pearl, and we're wrapped around Pearl's waist, holding her close, and having her head onto Pearl's back, breathing softly. Pearl had her arms in front of her, curled up close to her face, as she slept in a fetal position, thanks to Marina spooning her and holding her close.

Pearl's eyes begin to open as they squeezed a bit before opening a pair of shimmering golden eyes. She blinked a few times to remove some of the traces of sleep from her eyes. She then feels a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and looked behind her by turning her head. She saw Marina's tentacles first then her face. Marina looked so peaceful in her sleep. Always and forever. Pearl gently smiled from this sight and was about to get up until she realized, she can't get up.

Because if she wakes up Marina now by just removing her arms around her waist, it would ruin a moment between the two.

"Shit...can't move." Pearl said in her own mind. However, she then heard Marina moan a little in her sleep. Apparently Marina was waking up. Pearl realized that her moving her head behind aroused the octoling to wake up.

"Mmm...Pearlie...?" Marina spoke with a husky tone, which Pearl blushed a bit, seeing and hearing this sleepy state that Marina was currently in. And so instead of playing off as if she was asleep, Pearl then spoke up to tell Marina that she's been awake for a bit.

"Uh...h-hey there, Rina...you awake now?" Pearl asked trying to keep her composure. Marina's eyes widened seeing the position they we're in, and pulls away, embarrassed.

"A-Ah Pearl, I..I um...I'm so sorry I..." Marina was interrupted by Pearl placing a finger onto Marina's lips, silencing her.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Rina. Its OK, really. I...I had a good night sleep, yo. So, don't get all sentimental with me, OK?" Pearl said with a serious, but comforting voice towards Marina. The octoling then calmed down, reassured that Pearl isn't weirded out. Marina smiled at Pearl, as Pearl's finger removed itself from her lips.

"I'm glad that you had a good night sleep. I didn't wanted you to have another nightmare. You've been having them for a few nights now." Marina's eyebrows furrowed a bit in concern.

"I see...But for real, yo. I'm fine now, OK? No need to worry." Marina felt a lot better hearing that, and brings Pearl close for a tight hug. Pearl always liked the octolings hugs. Tight, but not too tight. Soft, but not too soft. Pearl just loved them, and hugged the taller girl back. However they're moment was then interrupted when the door to the room was then opened up.

"Hey, both of you. We need to get going. The others will be meeting u---." Onyx sees the duo hugging each other, and they both pull away immediately seeing Onyx enter the room. "Oh, sorry. Did I ruin something?" Pearl then gets a bit defensive.

"Uh! Yeah! You ruined our moment, yo! Next time, knock!" Onyx then smirked a bit as she leaned against the door.

"Uh-Huh...anyways...as I was saying, the others will be on they're way to meet us to the lab, so get ready to hit the road again. We'll leave in five minutes. Don't keep me waiting." Onyx the leaves the room, leaving the duo to themselves once again. Pearl and Marina both gets they're stuff and within the five minute limit they had, they meet up with Onyx to the car.

"We got till dusk to get to the lab, so no delaying, OK?" The duo didn't question about Onyx's schedule to get to the lab so fast, but they did as told by getting in the car. Onyx then starts the car and begins to drive. Onyx then grabbed her phone, called the other agents about the situation and where they are going to meet up. Meanwhile Pearl and Marina in the back are having a bit of a conversation in the back about last night.

"Pearl...Um...About last night..." Marina spoke first. "I just want to ask you...are we...you know...making it official...?" Marina asked curiously to the smaller inkling, who blushes at this question. yet, Pearl sighed.

"Marina, I...I don't know...I know we...y'know kissed...But, we're in a dangerous situation...so I don't know if its like...real... or just for comfort." Pearl spoke in a deep monotone voice, yet with a hint of sadness. Marina was hurt by these words. So...it was all for comfort? Or was it real?

"Pearlie...I know what we are experiencing right now, but I just want your answer, since we've kissed..." Marina said, trying to keep her reassure herself by placing a hand onto Pearl's hand, however Pearl pulled her hand away. Marina felt something was off, but she didn't want to be rude about it.

"Marina...Look, I'm not rejecting you...I just want to let you know...like...I want to wait till all of this is over...OK?" Pearl said with some guilt in her voice, yet Marina wasn't going to buy it. She knew Pearl was being stubborn to avoid the subject. The way they shared that kiss, that was a sign that Pearl wanted to kiss her as well. Even if it was Marina who gave Pearl her first kiss towards the smaller inkling.

"Pearlie...Please stop doubting yourself. You even said that you and I were going to get through this nightmare together, right? I want to get through it with you, Pearl. You gave me the strength to pull through. Without you, I've would've been those things out there." Marina placed a hand onto Pearl's left cheek. Pearl's face flushed a bit of pink, and the tips of her ears become pink as well.

"And...you've helped me pull through at one of the hardest times of my life. Leaving my home might've been the best decision I've made, because I was able to meet you. You've taught me so much and showed me so much. I don't want that to end..." Marina then placed her hand onto Pearl's again, this time squeezing it to assure Pearl that both of them are going to be OK. Pearl sighed softly, as Marina gets nearer to the smaller inkling. Pearl looked up to Marina, face flushing pink as Marina's gentle breathing was audible to the inkling.

"Hey both of ya, I don't want to be rude, but once we're through this shit, you can do whatever your doing right now later..." Onyx's voice came in and the duo pulled away immediately, embarrassed.

Onyx chuckled and rolled her eyes. Then she spoke to herself in a faint whisper. "Marina...I never thought that you would feel something towards girls...I know I did..."


	8. Stepping closer into the darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight nsfw later in the chapter

Its been a good two days since our idols have been driving in the same car with the same people. Sure, they would switch positions for driving duty every five hours. Then even those hours, they would get something food to eat. However, the food was beginning to become low, and they had to little. Pearl would get hungry faster than anyone in the car. Onyx held it in most of the time, while Marina would sometimes suffer from hunger in silence. And also, all of their phones we're disabled and wifi was disabled too. So, its been a very interesting journey for them. A very boring one, too. However, even if they would run into trouble every now and then, They we're now finally at the lab. The lab was closed off, but the only way in was the hatch from above the surface.

"Whew, alright you two. This is it." Onyx stops the car, and saw that it was out of gas. She sighed, regretting she should've refueled the vehicle before their journey, but there was no turning back now. The two idols got out of the car as Pearl stretched her back, and grunts along feeling some pops on her back. Marina get out breathing in the fresh air once again, but then frowned again once Onyx began speaking once more.

"Alright, both of you. We don't have that much time. We have barely two days left in order to save the world from certain death. We need to get in there, find the cure, defeat the scientist and save the world. We can't delay this moment." Onyx said with seriousness in her voice. Marina felt a shiver go down her back hearing the speech that Onyx made. However, she felt as if a hole was made in her heart. She remembered how Onyx was before all this happened. But, the remaining question lingered within Marina's mind.

"How do you know what has happened, and why are you bringing us into it?"Marina asked Onyx before entering the abandoned facility. Onyx stops dead in her tracks and then turns her head to face the other octoling.

"What?" Onyx's eyes widened a bit as she stared at Marina with a surprised stare.

"I am asking you, how do you know any of this, and why do you need us?" Marina stepped up to Onyx, which Pearl then stayed quiet, knowing something was about to go down between Marina and Onyx.

"Marina, out of all of the times to ask questions, is now? We are so close to the end of this nightmare, and now you want to ask questions?" Onyx said with some irritation in her voice. Marina wasn't going to back down on this one however.

"Yes! You've been saying that these "primal" inkings and octolings are infected and we can't really help them! You bring us into it, because all you did was save us from a burglary, saved me from being eaten and this is the kind of shit that we both have to live with!?" Marina responded, raising her voice to Onyx, which to Pearl's surprise, this never really happened, unless Marina was excited or crying. But this was something that Marina needs to deal with her old partner in crime.

"All you have been doing, Onyx was hide! You are still very secretive and you never tell us anything! All you do is make up excuses, so people can do it for you! People are dying, because you never won't tell us anything!" Before anything else came out of the octoling mouth, Onyx spoke up with a sudden raise of voice.

"I NEVER WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME, MARINA! I HAVE SEEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS POOR INKLINGS AND OCTOLINGS, AND I COULDN'T DO A DAMN THING TO STOP IT! AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PAIN, THE SUFFERING AND THE AGONY!!!" Onyx's outburst caused both girls to tense up, and causing Marina to go very silent now.

"You don't know me, Marina. Before you and I we're partners, I was already in a bad position, before you even knew me." Onyx's reassurance towards Marina wasn't really working, which she then asked one more question.

"Then why are you like this? What did we do to you to deserve this kind of pain?" Marina asked with a hint of desperation in her voice, wanting a long deserved answer from the other octoling. Onyx lowered her head as the tentacles on her head went limp, as if they have lost connection to her body. Marina's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, just wanting an answer from the other octoling. 

"Onyx! I asked you a question! Why are you like this!?" Marina was becoming concerned and frustrated with the girl. Onyx lifted her head up opening her blue eyes to gave Marina a glare. Then she opened her mouth to speak.

"Because I've despised weakness and incompetence. Those who are weak are worthless, and those that are afraid are useless among the millions of lives of our species. I've lost everything. They've robbed from one of the most precious octolings that I could've possessed! I lost someone I loved from an accident." Onyx's eyes begin to well up with tears, as she continued the painful memory.

"Her name was Sysilia. She was one of the most sweetest octolings I have ever met. She was there when I was in a terrible position. She was there when I needed her. I've loved her so much, but I was afraid of losing my only friend I have ever had down in the undeground. But that was the biggest mistake that I've made. I didn't even see it coming, but she was crushed by a pillar that is now a huge battleground for us octolings. She died in my arms when I tried to free her. I tried calling out for help, but no one came to my aid." Onyx's breath shivered through a sob and anger began to built up within her body as her hands balled into fists.

"But they sat there and watched. They didn't do anything to help me. Days pass after that, and all they did was pity me. I wasn't going to buy it. And from that day, I've decided to make a moral. A moral that struck hard within the octoling community, even the octo king DJ Octavio himself." Onyx lifts her head up and walked up to Marina and softly spoke in a dark monotone voice.

"Its to train those who are too pathetic and weak to do anything, but to shiver and cry." Marina begins to tremble in fear, feeling Onyx's breath against her ear, hearing the poison from her as well. Onyx leaned away from the trembling octoling before her.

"I've told you this before, didn't I? My time will not be wasted by weaklings and fear consumed brats that would dare stand in my way. And I made sure every single octoling would get the message. That is why I'm like this. One fatal mistake from the others changed everything." Onyx's smirk fades away from her lips and then turned around to face the other direction from Marina and Pearl, and walked away.

"Now, lets go. We have a world to save." Onyx then undid the latch from the door and climbed inside. Pearl gently grabbed Marina's hand, squeezing to hope help shake away the tension that Marina was feeling. Marina's shocked eyes turned to look at Pearl, but she sees comfort within Pearl's golden face. The tension fades away seeing this in the smaller girls eyes.

"It'll be OK, Marina. We'll get through this together, just as promised." Marina was truly touched by Pearl's words, and a weak smile formed on Marina's lips and nods, believing in the words that the smaller inkling said. They held hands as they followed Onyx into the abandoned entrance of the facility.

They're journey was about to end. Just a little bit further, and it will all be over soon.

~Meanwhile with the Squidbeak Splatoon~

It was Callie's turn to drive, since agents eights phone was the last phone to be working, since she doesn't waste up her data. But, they needed the coordinates to the location of the lab. Four was asleep, and has a few bruises she received during a battle between some infected inklings. Marie was also asleep up in the front seat, leaving eight and three to themselves. Unless, what they do will alert Callie. Three was gently stroking the smaller octolings tentacle like hair on the back of her head, and every now and then would curl her finger within the tentacle that sticked out. Eight loved the feeling of being petted on the head, especially if its from three. She didn't really mind, because it made her feel safe within the taller inklings arms. Then three places a kiss on top of the octolings head, somewhat alerting the smaller girl's attention.

"Ah, did I wake you? I'm sorry, love. You just look so cute that I can't really help it." Three tried to be smooth and quiet as possible, since the car was silent, and all is heard is the engine running, and tires driving on the dirt road. Eight knew this, and quietly chuckled.

"I'm OK, Lea. I really enjoyed you petting my head." The smaller octoling explained. Of course, the octoling was tired, but she wanted to share a few more moments of piece with the inkling. Three blushed heavily at this response, and smiled. She still loved the smaller octoling to say her real name rather than plain "three".

"Aw, sweetheart. I'm glad you did." Lea says as she moved a tentacle out of the octolings face. Eight closed her eyes, hummed when the inkling did. Lea's face was flushed with yellow as the octolings we're a reddish pink. Eight then leaned into the inklings face, and kissed her on the lips. Lea was surprised by this, but kissed her back nonetheless. However, she then feels the octolings claws gently go up the inklings, toned abdomen. Three lets out a hitched breath, and released the kiss surprised, looking at the octoling.

"R-Riley...sweetheart, you know what your doing. We're in the car with three other inklings, and one of them is awake and is driving the car. Can't it wait, love?" Three tried not to get a bit heated through it, yet she was pulled back down for another kiss from the octoling. Three couldn't help, but to moan at the feeling of Riley's soft lips pressed against hers, and gave in. Riley maybe innocent to some, but that didn't stop the octoling to try and be a bit dirty to the agent. Riley continued to drag her claws up the toned stomach, sort of lifting up the shirt of the agent, which Lea grabbed Riley's hand and guides it upward towards her chest. Riley was then giving the half lidded, heart shaped eyes towards Lea. Riley then removed her seat belt, knowing that if they just do it right here, then both girls wouldn't have the same satisfaction they needed.

"S-Shit...R-Riley..." Lea was trying to form words, trying her very hardest to not get caught moaning in the car whilst theres other people with them. It was pretty agonizing for the agent, since now under the "so called innocent" octolings spell from soft touching to gentle neck nibbling. Lea held Riley in her arms letting the octo girl nibble at her neck and softly breathing in and out, trying her very best not to moan. However, before they could progress even further by just slipping a hand down either's pants, Four spoke up.

"If you guys are gonna fuck, take it somewhere else, but here." Four said in a soft, yet irritated voice, as her eyes we're still closed, awaking from her slumber. Turned out, one of Lea's legs kept pushing onto Four's leg, and woke up from the constant movement of her leg. Both the other agents stopped dead in their tracks, and returned back to the sitting position, looking like a deer in headlights, and trying to pretend nothing happened.

"Hey Callie? Are we there yet?" Four said with boredom in her voice. Callie looks at the coordinates on the phone, and apparently they we're almost there. 

"Just about two more miles, you three!" Callie said with some excitement in her voice. But also fear in it too, since they have no idea what dangers will be lurking below when they get there. Eight and Three sat there absolutely still throughout the ride, embarrassed and a bit ashamed from being caught. After another good twenty minutes pass, the phone then said "You have reached your destination" which caught everyone's attention.

"Oh my god. FINALLY!!!" Four's voice boomed in impatience. Marie woke up from the booming voice that Four emitted.

"God, four. You scream like a banshee, you remind me of Pearl's folk concert." Marie groaned, holding her head as she wasn't able to get much sleep from sleeping in a sitting position, which was uncomfortable for her.

"Well everyone, this is it. The lab that this Onyx person wants us to go." Callie said with a hint of shakiness in her voice. The agents from the back get their stuff ready to go in the abandoned lab. Marie and Callie did the same too. They all saw the metal of the lab which is underground, and sticking out of the dirt revealed to be rusted from the rain and wind. Apparently when Callie opened the hatch to get inside, it was already unlocked.

"Well, I suppose the others are already inside the lab. Don't you think?" Eight spoke up which the Squid Sisters looked at her.

"Guys! I found a car thats been left here! It has Pearl's crown and Marina's headset in there! They're already inside the lab right now!" Four spoke up after looking around while the others have already investigated.

"Well, if we're gonna find them, then we'll have to follow them down." Three said with her usual calm, monotone voice. Eight on the other hand, held onto three's arm, shaking a bit, which was a sign to three that eight will possibly have her panic moments, but looked at eight with a comforting smile.

"Well come on, ya slow pokes! We don't want the others to worry about us!" Four said before disappearing down.

Three and eight nods together and followed the others downwards into the depths of the underground lab.


	9. The monsters under the bed coming to life

Onyx, Marina and Pearl made their way down below the abandoned facility. Once they got to the bottom of the ladder that lead them down this sewer looking hallway with a huge pipe on the the right. Onyx slide down the ladder at ease and so did Marina, since they had to do this a lot during their time a soldiers. Pearl on the other hand, was dangling halfway down the long ladder, and Onyx rolled her eyes groaning when she saw Pearl still having a bit of trouble going down. Marina looked up towards Pearl's struggle with the ladder and grew concerned and just stood there and watched her smaller friend climd down, whilst Onyx walked away from them to inspect the place for a bit. What Onyx found was a closed metal door that seemed to be sealed. Onyx was a bit disappointed that this way to the lab was closed off, and so she heads on back to the others who we're delaying a bit.

"Come on Pearlie, its not that big of a drop. Think of it as if your in moray towers!" Marina tried to reassure her smaller friend to drop down, but Pearl still held onto the rusted metal ladder.

"Y-You know I'm afraid of height, Rina!" Pearl protested with the taller one below her. Marina shakes her head and then walked up to the ladder.

"Pearl, I will catch you, if you do drop down, OK?" A pink flush of ink went to Pearl's cheeks hearing that statement. She then looks down to look at Marina, which the octoling was giving her a smile of encouragement to go further down, as her arms we're somewhat wide and open. Pearl's ears drooped a bit, and she then takes a deep breath and descended further down the tunnel, however her foot slipped and she falls, letting out a scream. Marina acted quickly, and catches her friend. Pearl slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the arms of the taller octoling.

"I told you I'd catch you, Pearlie." Pearl was just lost for words as Marina puts her down on the hard concrete floor."There was no need to be afraid of a simple drop." The octoling kissed the smaller girl's forehead and chuckled, as green ink flushed her swarthy skin. Pearl scratched the back of her head, and chuckled nervously feeling embarrassed.

"Oi!" Onyx's voice was then heard from the darkness in front of the duo. Onyx revealed herself from the darkness.

"Bad new, we can't get in the short way. Apparently the door to the lab is sealed shut, so we'll have to take the longer route to get there." Marina felt a bit chest fallen by this, and Pearl groaned in frustration. "I know, I am just as frustrated as both of you, but we got two days left before the entire world is wiped out from the infectious primal ink. But, if we are going to get in the lab, we'll have to suffer a little bit more in order to get in there." Onyx then loads her sculetcher dualie's with her own black in and heads the other way in the dark tunnel. Marina and Pearl looked at each other, and they followed behind the older octoling.

However as they continue the walk down the tunnels, Pearl felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt as if they are being watched, and wrapped her arm around Marina's. Marina looked at the smaller inkling in surprise, but smiled softly as she then moved her arm to wrap hers around as well and hold the shivering inkling's hand.

"Its OK, Pearlie. I'm here." Marina gently reassured the smaller girl, and once Pearl begins to feel better she then heard some clawing at metal and tapping sounds above them from the distance. Onyx stood her ground, stopping at the noise just to make sure that they were alone, but that didn't seem like the point, when she then heard some grunts in the background. She then shines her light to the dark void of the tunnel and points her guns to the direction as she then backed away to the duo.

"Stay close. We aren't alone. Both of you, weapons ready." Marina and Pearl did as told as they looked in the front and in the back. The tapping gets even louder and the clawing gets louder too, but also Onyx feels the ground shake every six seconds as she examined the darkness, Onyx then noticed a pair of glowing eyes in the dark, then three, then one giant one in the middle of it. She then squints her eyes to look closely at the dark, then she sees something heading towards the group which looked like a large tendril coming right towards them.

"Move!" Onyx dodged while it took a second for the duo to see what Onyx saw and they dodged as well, barely missing Pearl's arm. There was then low loud growling sounds and then a large footstep like stomping sound produced by this thing. Onyx then points her light to this thing. What they saw was just flat out terrifying looking.

It seemed to be like multiple inkling bodies we're fused into this humanoid blobby mess having bone like red claws protruding from its feet and its hind legs. The tentacles on its back and head started off looking similar to a male inklings then down it was female, and then the rest looked like a mangled mess of octoling tentacles sticking out on its back. Then finally it had a very large tail which had three super elongated twisted octoling tentacles to form a tail, which it splits on the ends to reveal hook like teeth to form a mouth on the end of the tail.

"My cod..." Onyx spoke quietly as she saw this combined corpses of inklings and octolings as it roared at the group.

"Run! RUN!!!" Onyx screamed as the duo got back to their feet quickly, and they begin running for their lives. The monster followed behind the three, as its tongue dangled out of its gapping mouth revealing three sets of jagged teeth. Pearl shrieked as she heads the other way, leaving Marina with Onyx.

"Pearl! Where the fuck are you going!?" The monster then made this dark chuckle and followed the inkling down the other hallways. "Fuck!" Onyx realized Marina was making decisions to follow the monster. "Marina! Don't do it!" But the younger octoling didn't know better and followed the monster anyways.

"Pearlie! I'm coming!" She then loaded her shotgun and shoots a shell at the monster which a large chunk of its shoulder obliterated, and it stopped dead in its tracks, and slowly turned itself around to face Marina, which she unloaded shots at the monster, obliterating parts of the monsters torso and head, but it didn't seem phased by it, and Marina began backing away in fear. The monsters tongue then latched onto Marina's throat and raised her in the air, causing the octoling to struggle from its grasp, but to no avail, as life was beginning to drain from her body, and was drawing nearer to the devouring maw of the beast. She closed her eyes and pleads for someone to save her.

Onyx runs in and sliced the monsters tongue with a broken pipe, freeing Marina's death like hold, dropping to the floor, taking in deep breathes and coughs, as then the monster screeched loudly and it used its damaged tongue to grab onto Onyx, but she managed to move out of the way, grabbing it, and began to have a tug of war at it. The monster pulled and pulled violently, like a dog having its chew toy taken away. However she then heard a familiar shrieking from a certain inkling which she fired her rounds at the monster. The monster then lands hard onto a grate below it , which looked like it was on the verge of breaking.

"P-Pearlie...!" Marina exclaimed in joy, seeing the inkling back, and quickly got back to her feet and runs over to her. 

Onyx however stopped the duo from reuniting as the large tail comes out of nowhere.

"Guys! Watch out!" Pearl had no time to react as the tail then latched onto Pearl's chest, bone like hook like teeth pierced onto her flesh as she screamed, and the monsters tail then throws the inkling girl across and Pearl hits her head hard on one of the steel pipes, falling over, and going limp.

"Pearlie! NO!!!" Marina's voiced echoed within Pearl's ears, as her vision then fades to black.

"SHIT! DAMN YOU!" Onyx then pulled hard onto the creatures tongue and it finally gave it as its internal organs was then pulled out of the monsters gullet. The monster lets out one final weak snarl like growl and falls to the floor of the grating and the grating gave in as the monster plummets down below. Onyx pants looking down the earth below and walked over to a distressed Marina, holding a fainted and badly wounded Pearl. Marina looks up at Onyx with tear filled eyes.

"If you know what's going on, help us. Please, Onyx, don't let her die..." Marina said through her choked sobs. Onyx felt a pang in her heart, reimagining the scene like what happened to her and her best friend seven years ago. Onyx then nods quickly and looks around quickly, hearing clicking sounds in the background.

"Alright, I'll do whatever I can to help, but try to keep up, and stay close." Marina's eyes we're filled with faith for the octoling and her inkling friend and nods. Onyx then grabbed the injured and fainted Pearl up and begins to run as Marina followed behind her. This was going to be a shit show in order to get to the lab.

Both Onyx and Marina we're running through the abandoned facility. Onyx was holding Pearl bridal style through the halls of the facility and Marina was following her behind, however as they get into a chamber, Marina had to stop Onyx for a minute.

"What is it, Marina?" However once she turned around, still holding the fainted Pearl in her arms, she could see the anger building up in the younger octolings eyes. Onyx groaned softly and gave Marina a bit of a lazy scowling way, like as if she has already given up on the younger octoling's shit a long time ago. "What now? Now isn't the time." Onyx already made it clear to the duo, but that wasn't the reason why she was angry.

"Why would you bring us into this situation, but since you knew what was going to happen, why bring us along too?" Onyx stared at Marina with a scowl and a shocked expression. However, she turned her head, and continued walking. "Answer me, Onyx! You can't hide your secret forever!" Marina said with anger in her voice. Onyx then turned quickly around with the same amount of rage within her's as well.

"Why won't you just shut up, and help me with this shit!? Your the smartest octoling that I could count on, but instead I am left with a fucking bitch! I am trying to help both of you, especially Pearl here who is dying as we speak! If you ever assume me being in this mess again, just wait until Pearl dies, then you'll see what its like to lose someone you love." That was one of the cruelest things that came out of the older octoling's mouth. Marina flinched in digust and her eyes widened in shock hearing such venom being spat out at her. 

As Onyx turned around again in frustration, Marina pulls out her shotgun that Onyx gave to her, points the gun at Onyx's back and pulled the trigger.

BANG

Onyx then turned around slowly towards Marina, as black ink dripped down her back, and after dropping the fainted Pearl on the floor.

"A-Are...Are you out of your min--gah!" Onyx tried walking, but she falls over, as she felt her legs go numb with tingles of pain following along with it. She gasped as she felt a cold, yet acidic feel on her back, as the area where she was shot begins to burn. She grunted as she tries to get up, but to no success. Marina still glaring at Onyx, walked over to Onyx to inspect the fallen octoling.

"You've been already infected? How?" Onyx's eyes widened. She has figured out her dark secret. Onyx lowered her head, knowing she can't hide it anymore.

"Marina...I...You have to understand...There is a way to fix this. You have to trust me on this." Onyx lifted herself up to look up at the younger octoling, who is glaring at her with confusion and anger.

"You knew this all would happen, and you lead us right into your trap. You've let me and Pearl get into this mess as well! How could I ever trust you!? You've ruined everything, because you don't talk!" Onyx looked away from Marina's strong angry gaze, feeling helpless and exposed. "You've got nothing to say? Because you know I'm right." Onyx lowered herself to the ground and lays there on the hard, dusty floor. Marina still eyed Onyx with a glare, as she walks over to Pearl's form, still pointing the gun at Onyx.

"I thought you could change Onyx, but apparently, you haven't changed at all. With your hatred and your cruelty, you have ruined us. You can't even move on from the past, and still, you treat me the same way as you did, all those years ago." Marina then lifts up Pearl's form, holding her up bridal style. "Just understand that I pity you for losing your best friend, but it doesn't mean you can just take out your rage towards us, and putting us in dangerous situations." Onyx stayed silent for a awhile. Marina sighed, finally relieved that she was able to give Onyx a piece of her mind for once. Marina began walking away, but then Onyx begins speaking.

"Your right."Onyx responded. Marina turns around looking at Onyx in surprise.

"I have been horrible to everyone. Everyone that I have unleashed my anger to we're like me. Cowards. I've hated it, seeing people tremble and cower in fear by the sight of me. I only lashed out to those who couldn't help me, and witnessed my pain. From there, I was hated, feared and portrayed as a scary and bad person. But, do not pity me." Onyx then slowly grabbed her guns, pulling out the ammo containing the black colored ink, and un-armed the gun. Marina tilts her head, confused. "Here, this is the key to making the cure. I tried making it myself, but I wasn't successful." Marina takes it, then looks at Onyx.

"Why are you trusting me to do it? Since, you've already made it." Onyx then interrupted her.

"Like i've said, its because your the smartest octoling I have ever known, and I know you can do it. Do it for Pearl and everyone else." Onyx spoke in serious, but hopeful tone. Onyx then grabbed Marina's hand and made the younger octoling's hand grip tighter on the shell holding the black ink inside. However, they then hear some growls and scratching noises in the distance within the walls.

"Now go. Those things will be here any minute. I'll sit here, and wait. I can deal with them. The lab is just up ahead, and once your inside, make sure to close and seal the doors." Marina became concerned now.

"What about you?" Onyx looked down.

"Ill fight them, even if it'll kill me." Onyx re-armed her dual wielding weapons and slowly gets up. The stinging in her back made her flinch in pain, but she got up nonetheless. "Now go, before its too late. I'll meet up with you later." Marina has never seen this heroic side of Onyx, but she nods and did as told once she entered the lab. Onyx waited for the hoards of primal infected inklings and octolings and points her guns at the darkness in the hallway, as the sounds get closer and more vibrant. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and braced herself.

"Come on and get me, you freaks." She said as she noticed the red glowing eyes of the infected hoard, and begins shooting.

The distant sounds of shots we're heard from the lab, as Marina locks it and sighed in relief. She placed down the inkling in her arms, when she finds a table thats connected to the floor.

"OK Pearlie, this is gonna be our best bet. Onyx got us this, which is the cure. Your gonna be OK, Pearlie." She begins to cry, but she wipes away her tears before she could break down. "We'll get you back to normal, I promise." Marina then gently rubbed her hand on Pearl's sickly pale skin on her cheek and down to her chin. Seeing the red forming under the pink highlights in Pearl's hair was hard to look at, and she bends down, kissing the inklings forehead. "Your going to be yourself again, just be patient." Marina inspected her smaller friend for another minute before heading over to a counter and placed the shell filled ink into a vile, taking a sample of it and got to work with the ink.

However, as Marina was distracted from being focused on the cure, a certain pale hand twitched alive.

Four was the first to drop down to the dark tunnels, Marie second, Callie third, then finally eight and three. They all looking around in the dark, and eight clings onto three, scared, and was beginning to remember her days being underground and doing those awful tests, but those thoughts we're swept away when she felt a soft hand onto her shoulder. She looks up to find it was three comforting her, giving her that calm look with a smile that no one has never seen, but eight. Eight slowly calmed down, still clinging onto three, and felt more secure and safe with three.

Four, Marie and Callie begins to walk through the dark halls as three and eight followed behind. Four then inspected the walls, seeing a grated up pipe that was pulsing this dark green, bubbling liquid and continued to walk. Marie's cousin was holding onto the other squids arm scared. Marie was just as scared as Callie, but she was more calm about it. Four was equally as scared, yet she continued to keep her game face on as they continued walking.

Callie flinched when she feels a drip on her shoulder and then shrieked a bit, causing everyone to pull out there weapons.

"Callie! What did you see?!" Four spoke loudly, looking in all directions, but didn't see anything red around them. Three groaned a bit, putting away eight and her own weapons away. Marie did the same.

"Callie, don't just scream out of nowhere, if you see something that's red, alert us in a different way rather than screaming at the top of your lungs." Marie suggested in annoyance. Even inklings and octolings that are fans of the Squid Sisters, knew that Callie, had a tendency to scream when, scared or excited.

"I'm sorry Marie, its just that, I thought I felt something on my shoulder." Callie said in a loud whisper voice. Four beamed the flashlight on Callie shoulder and three went over with eight.

"Its just water, Callie. We need to keep going. We cannot delay over distractions." Three calmly suggested and continued walking ahead. Four then followed.

"Right with ya, three!" Four chirped, almost skipping her feet on the concrete floor. Marie rolled her eyes, chuckling at Four's hyper attitude and Callie was still clinging onto Marie's arm as they continue walking through the darkness, unaware that they might've alerted something from afar. 

Onyx pants heavily after shooting many of the infected, and she drops to her knee's exhausted. She was covered in red ink, blood, scraps and even scratches and bites. The black ink in her body made the red ink not enter her own body, but instead dried up like having scabs on your body. She begins to get up slowly, but surely, she was finally back on her feet. She wipes away the ink and blood like muck on her clothes.

She begins to walk towards the location to where Marina was located, but she then heard a shrill in the background of the facility, as her ears picked up someone's shriek. However, what intrigued her the most was that it was a familiar voice. She slowly but surely, went over to the sound as fast as possible to see who it is, and to see if there is any sign of living down here, besides the infected.

The others continued to walk through the dark corridors, passing by vent fans, stepping on red ink puddles and the sounds of their footsteps echoed through the darkness. But from behind the group, eight turns around hearing the same scratching noises and footsteps from before. Three turned around, seeing the octoling look around in fear, and went over to her.

"Riley...Whats wrong?" Three asked in concern, when suddenly the sound of something falling to the ground and making a splat sound by impacted. Three alerted the others to stop what they were doing.

"Whats wrong, agents three and eight? Find something?" Callie asked, but three cuts her off, telling her to be quiet. She did, but then four spoke up.

"Whats the deal?" Four chimed, but like Callie, she was silenced by the yellow squid. She pouted, crossing her arms, causing Marie to chuckle softly.

"Everyone...I don't think we're alone down here." Three said as the sounds began to get closer and closer. The sound of claws scratching onto the concrete of the floors, the noises of growls and snarls we're close. The others pull out their man-made weapons, and gets ready to whatever is heading towards them. However they instead see a figure slowly walking towards the others. They lowered their guard, but sees the figure's red glow in its eyes, which made three go over and just smashed its head into the wall. Everyone else flinched at this, and three went back over towards everyone.

"It was just a single one of them. No matter. Lets just keep going..." Three then saw everyone's faces seeing that it wasn't really over. The creature slowly got up as more came in. About a good three of them came behind three and they made their breathy shrieks at them. Three tightened their grip on her weapon, and so everyone else gets ready. However instead of attacking, the three other infected went over to their dying friend, grabbed them, and their hands begins to meld into its body, along with there bodies turning into this thick goop, and disappearing into the body. Everyone stared in shock, as the mass began to grow into size. A lot bigger than three, and it forms back its four limbs, the tentacles, mainly dangling on its back, large claws formed where its hands and feet are, teeth that protruded from its large gapping mouth, multiple eyes formed on its body, and finally large tendrils made from ink and tentacles form behind its back. It roared very loudly, causing the ground to shake, and made everyone try to keep their balance.

"My god..." Marie said in a calm, yet shocked voice. Callie was at the verge of screaming, Four was just as shocked, eight stayed behind three, and three braced herself with this new formed foe they we're about to face. But what has came out of the mouth of the monster is what was terrifying about it.

"C-....Car.....Carnage...will...reign...And we...Will bring...CHAOS!!!" As that monster said that, it was then shot down in the back. Everyone was baffled when someone with guns was able to take down this giant creature. The creature falls to its knees then onto its stomach, and they all see Onyx, who has shot the creature down. Onyx slowly lowered her gun, and walked over to the creature as it slowly drying up, but it was still alive. Onyx then placed a foot onto its neck and it grunted.

"You...Onyx...You...Mortals...Cannot...Win...Against us...We are...everywhere...And will...have our rev---" The monsters head was stomped into bits from Onyx's foot.

"Yeah yeah, we get it, now shut up." She removed her foot as the rest of the body dried up. Marie steps in to greet Onyx.

"So your Onyx, right?" Onyx looked up to Marie and nods.

"I am so glad that you saved us from that thing!" Four chimed in, and so did Callie who was equally as grateful. However, three squinted her eyes examining the black octoling with suspicion, feeling like as if she has seen her before. However, Onyx looks at three and lets out a breathe, thinking Here we go again with this.

"I feel like I know you..." Three walked up to Onyx.

"Yeah, and I remember you. Apparently you would always try to get the smaller zapfishs as quickly as possible because of me." Callie and Marie looked at three, who was balling her fist in irritation, remembering those times she has been splatted by the octoling.

"Lea...Calm down, please." Eight chimed in from catching three's anger. Three did calm down, but still feels like something is off. "So, your the one who led us here, right? And you we're behind the coordinates to the facility too, right?" Eight asked the older octoling and Onyx confirms it with a nod. However before they could continue, they all then hear an alarm going off, as red flashes the darkness.

"Guys, I don't have time to explain, but I need each and every one of you to follow me. Marina is getting the cure ready, and we need to get out of here. I know whats going on, but trust me on this." Onyx was getting ready to run. Four ran to her first, then Callie, then Marie, and finally the other agents followed last. Due to three's hate towards the older octoling, she didn't want to follow, but due to her friends she basically had no choice, but to follow. However through the speakers, the sound of a voice came on the line. Our hero's continued to follow Onyx to their desired location as the voice speaks to them in a high pitched, husky like whisper.

"Keep on fleeing and hiding, but you will have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. We will come for you, and we will hunt you down, catch you, and make you into one of us."


	10. Sacrifices are yet to be made

Marina gets the cure ready a she hold it up to the light, as the cure glistened into the light, glowing dimly a white rainbow like color. She smiled relieved that she got it done, yet she had a never ending feeling of dread because Pearl was in there with her, infected and also asleep, Onyx being outside in the halls from outside the room she was in is dreadfully quiet, and she has the only sample of the cure in her hands. The most important vile for everyone who's infected before fully transformed into those creatures from outside, is now in her hands. She sighed quietly as she turns around towards the limp body behind her which is the inkling she's fearing for the girls life to not become those things.

"OK, Pearlie. Your going to be OK, and your old self again. Now all we need is a needle to---." Her words we're interrupted when she turns around fully to find her friend gone. Not on the bed gone. Not dead gone.

"H-Huh?! Pearl!?"She went over to the bed she last saw her friend laying down on the bed, but finds her fallen onto the floor. Marina sighed in relief seeing her friend just fell off the bed.

"Ah, you've only fell off the bed." She picked up Pearl, and before she could even get the girl on the bed, Pearl's eyes suddenly opened. A soft groan escaped from Pearl's throat, and the younger girl behind her heard this soft noise from the smaller inkling. "Pearlie! Your awake! I-I made the cure! Everything will be...OK..." However Pearl's voice went from soft to an aggressive growling noise. "P-Pearl...?" Marina's hands begin to shake as then the inklings head turned around, and Marina saw the horrible sight of Pearl.

Pearl's star shaped pupils weren't there usual pale yellow color, but was replaced with a pale looking red, almost pinkish color, and her eyes looked veined and reddened, as if she was finished crying, and she looked at Marina with soulless eyes. Marina immediately pulled away from her, seeing this terrible sight of her friend.

"N-No...NO! NO NO NO!!! This can't be happening! You can't! You couldn't!" Marina's eyes filled with tears immediately having both of her hands to her mouth in shock, and breathing hard from crying and anxiety. Pearl gets up slowly from the ground, still growling and staring back at Marina with those dead eyes. She opened her mouth making gurgled snarling sounds, and Marina backed away in fear, however she grabbed her shotgun, and points it at Pearl. She was shaking violently, as the inkling slowly got closer to the taller octoling.

"Pearl, please, I don't want to do this to you, Pearlie. You mean so much to me, and it pains me to see you like this." Pearl continued to walk slowly towards the octoling with no emotion in her eyes, mouth gapping open and eyes glowing red dimly. 

But just at the nick of time before Marina pulled the trigger, the door to the lab opened up. Both of the girls looked at the door, which revealing no one at first, then Fours head poked out from the door.

"Is that Off The Hook?! IT IS" Four shrilled in excitement, seeing the duo in person, however, four noticed the condition of Pearl, and her excitement turned into worry. "Wait, whats going on---Oh no. Guys?" Four alerted the others. The agents and the squid sisters walk in, including Onyx walking behind them and they all saw whats happening.

"P-Pearl?" Eight spoke with concern and fear in her eyes. Three was in shock by this sight. Marie and Callie we're very shocked by this, seeing their friend becoming those things that they have encountered. Pearl saw everyone, then Marina, then Onyx. She backed away, making growling noises and then she begins to hold her head. Everyone became confused by this, seeing that Pearl was trying to resist her urges to kill. She shrieked in pain, and raised her hands to the air toward the light, as her hands we're frozen in a clawed hand position. She lets out another shrill, until Onyx punches her hard in the jaw, making the smaller inkling to pass out once again.

"What the hell happened to Pearl?! And what was that four punching Pearl!?" Callie spoke up as everyone else stared in shock at what Onyx just did. Three was going to stop Onyx, but was stopped by her own girlfriend, Riley, so she stood her ground, as Onyx then picked up Pearl from the floor, and back onto the table.

"It had to be done, everyone. Marina, is the cure finished?" Onyx looked back at Marina, which she nodded frantically and gets up from the floor, handing it over to Onyx. "Are you sure this will work?" Onyx remarked to Marina.

"Yes it will. I've tested it to some recent infected inkling ink and it basically cleaned up the ink, yet it caused the ink to be colorless, but once colored ink is mixed with the original, it'll go back to normal." Marina explained to Onyx and everyone else. Onyx nods and removes her hands from under Pearl's body. The girl formally in Onyx's arms groaned softly as her head moved to the side slowly, drifting back to consciousness. Marina saw this and went towards the inkling, gripping onto the pale, twitching hand. Onyx then turned around towards the group, holding the cure in her hand.

"Does anyone in here produce pink ink?" Onyx asked as she looked around the room. The only ones for now we're Callie and Riley. Onyx sighed. "Look everyone. I need to have either pink ink, or Pearl will die and become those things. She hasn't dissolved yet, so if any of you will do it, please step forward." Onyx had a hint of desperation within her voice, but tried to keep it cool. Everyone looked at each other for a few more moments, until one finally steps forward towards the older octoling.

"I'll do it, for Pearl."

"I'll do it, for Pearl." Eight spoke up as she stepped towards Onyx.

"Then its settled." Onyx nods her head towards eight, as then three steps in.

"E-Eight! N-No! Don't! What if she's lying!?" Three said as she places a hand to Eights shoulder.

"Ah, so you still don't trust me after all this time, huh?" Onyx chimed in, which then three turns her head towards the older octoling. "Three, I know you hate me, because of me kicking your ass all those years ago, but I am not gonna do that. I mean, do you want me to kick your ass? Right here, right now?" Onyx crossed her arms, after stating that her past with three in front of everyone. Four snickered quietly, and she received a hard hit from Marie's elbow to the orange inklings torso, causing the inkling to groan in pain, and hold her own stomach.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Three marched up to Onyx in anger, but eight pulls onto three arm, trying to keep the taller inkling away from the older octoling.

"I'm the octoling who kicked your ass back in the day, and lead all of you here to help us." Then eight looked at Onyx with shock and confusion.

"But, wait, your the one who sent us the map to this location?" Eight asked the older octoling, which Onyx confirmed it by nodding, and showing her the same map on her phone. "So, all of this, you knew where it was, and you know what is happening. Have you experienced any of the terrors here?" Eight asked the older octoling. Onyx, however went silent and turned around.

Onyx stayed silent for a few moments, then sighed, knowing she can't hold it in any longer.

"Everyone, listen. Actually, I've already told Marina this, but I will tell you nonetheless. Yes, I have, and yes, I have been infected before." Everyone except Marina and three, gasped after the octoling revealed the truth. "All what the scientist wants was the cheat death. So he made this ink to turn himself to become immortal, yet he needed a subject to test it on. However, as you can see, things didn't go according to plan, instead he made these bloodthirsty, undead killing machines. Our goal right now, is to at least find a cure or vaccination to stop this damn ink from spreading. Thats why I brought all of you here. Right now, our friend, is dying as we speak. I just at least need pink colored ink." Onyx spoke as she then looks at eight. Eight sighed, but three didn't seem to pleased with eight's decision, but it was for the best.

"It's gonna be very risky doing this, but I know your strong, Riley. You can pull through this." Onyx said, as she gently gripped onto eight's hands, giving the younger octoling reassurance. The smaller octoling looked around at her friends and sighed, nodding.

"I'll do it." Eight gave Onyx a determined look, which Onyx was quite surprised with the smaller octoling's bravery. Onyx smiled and walked back over to the unconscious Pearl, still lying on the bed.

"You hear that, Pearl? We're all gonna get you better." Pearl actually sort've smiled at this, being unconscious. Marina almost teared up by this. All she wanted was to hug and kiss the smaller inkling, but she can't still. However before they could even get started on the extraction, the radio and alarm go off once again, alerting everyone in the room. Laughter was heard through the radio, and behind the alarm sounds.

"So, you have finally made the cure. How curious. half of the population of Inkling and octoling alike as transformed into my creations. It will be too late for your kind to surpass me and my army of the primal. But its such a cliche that the hero in your movies always wins, but this time, I will reawaken your world of cliches, and show the world, that I have won---" Before the husky, whispered voice could continue, Onyx shoots the radio dead.

"Oh shut up. You've had your chance, now you've ruined it." Onyx said with irritation in her voice. She sighed to herself, then turns herself around towards the others.

"We have no time left. The professor is going to be unleashing those things to kill us all." Onyx goes silent for a moment, and then turns to eight. "Eight will have to stay here, while all four of you." She points to the two agents and the squid sisters, and continues her sentence. "All four of you will have to go find him and kill him." Three glared at the octoling.

"No, I am not leaving her in here with you." Three says with anger boiling within her veins. Onyx groaned, as she rolls her eyes.

"Seriously? This again?" Onyx shrugged her shoulders, giving the same glare that three is giving her.

"No, she's right, three." Eight spoke between the two. Three was shocked by this, and turned towards the smaller octoling.

"What? Eight please---" Before three could continue her sentence, eight grabbed three's hands, silencing the taller inkling. "Three, I have to do this, just go on without me." Eight intertwines her hands with three's, and gently squeezing her grip on the taller inklings strong hands. "I will be OK. I know your strong, three. But enough of this...hate...towards Onyx. I get that you and her do not get along, but please." Eight then moved her's and the inklings hands towards her lips and kissed the inklings hand, which caused the inklings breath to hitch. Then the octoling's eyes opened, revealing violet colored eyes staring back at the heterochromia eyes. "Just do this for me, OK?" Eights voice was quiet when she said this. Three's lower lip twitched, as her eyes begin to fill with tears, hearing such strong words towards her lover.

"B-But...E-Eight..." Three couldn't believe that the octoling was serious about this. However eight then hugged the crumbling inkling tightly. The smaller octoling shushes the taller inkling, who's in distraught.

"Just go, OK? Everything will be OK. I will be OK. Just please, go with the others. I love you, Lea."

Eight whispered this towards three, who she was at the brink of tears, and so three wraps her strong arms around the smaller octoling's small body. The inkling, still loved it when the smaller octoling called her by her real name, but this was a life and death situation, so that thought was pushed away.

"E-Eight...I...A-Alright...Just...Just be careful, O-OK...?" Three tried not to cry in front of everyone, but tears has already fallen from her face. Four, Marie, Callie and Marina watched feeling the tension between the two, as both of the lovers embraced and shared one final kiss, before the rest we're set off. Four decided to say something after the couple shared their love.

"Well, um, guys I guess its best we better leave now, and go get this fucker, right?" Four tried to keep her go-getter attitude and tone, but watching both the agents final moments with one and another was wearing down her own confidence. Callie sighed, knowing that its hard to leave behind someone you love and cherish the most. Marie then looks at four with worry, and then places a hand on the agents shoulder.

"Hey...Four? Um..." Marie stops at her sentence, as the agent turned to the idol in confusion.

"Yeah? Whats up?" Four responded. Marie's face flushed a tint of green, as her ears lowered a bit as she was gonna say something. Four stared back at the idol seemingly blushing a bit as a tint of orange flushed her face.

"Just...Just to let you know, I...I don't want you to get hurt." Four then places both of her hands onto the idols shoulders, causing Marie to flinch a bit, as her star shaped eyes widened.

"Marie, I promise, I'll be OK. I just don't want the same to happen with you. I believe there's hope on stopping this madman causing all of this chaos. We just have to have faith within ourselves and keep moving forward." Fours strong words went through the idols heart, causing her to tear up and just hugs the agent. Four was just surprised as her blush became more noticeable, and Callie looked at them in awe. The idol pulled away quickly realizing that everyone was watching and places her hands behind her back.

"Alright everyone." Onyx's voice interrupted everyone's moment. "We need to hurry with this. Three, Four and squid sisters, You four need to find the professor. I can only tell you where he will be hiding, but be quick. Follow the screams of the primal, and surely, you will find him. Now go. Theres no time to waste. Its now or never!"

The agents agreed with this and four bolted out of the room, along with Callie and Marie following, and then finally three following the three other squids.

"Now..." Onyx says as she shuts the doors once again. "Lets do this."

And so, after agents three, four and squid sisters have left, the air in the room with the octolings and the unconscious inkling became dense. They all knew what was going to happen, but they hoped for another way to save Pearl from turning into those things out there. But, there was no other way, but to extract the ink from eight's body and cure Pearl from the primal ink. Eight was feeling very nervous, yet tried to stay calm as possible looking up at the older octoling as Onyx walked over to her, and placed a hand onto her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Because, I'm not sure how much ink we need to extract from your body, so its worth a try." 

Eight's nervousness increased, and she looked over to Marina, who is making more of the cure from Onyx's black ink from her own ink tank. Eight then looked over to Pearl's limp body, seeing the pink tips fade into red very slowly, as Pearl's fingers and eyes would twitch, but not enough to be awakened. Eight then looked back over to Onyx, sighing then nodding.

"Like I said, I will do this to save my friends, even if it'll kill me."

Marina almost dropped the vile full of some more of the cure when she heard those words come out of the younger octoling. Both Onyx and eight looks at Marina in surprise, and Marina's head was lowered, her palms pressed against the table, and her shoulders quivered. Onyx knew this posture that Marina was doing, it was when Marina would silently cry as she continues to work back underground, when Onyx and her worked together. Eight was about to say something, but Onyx gives eight a gesture to not say a word. Eight knew that this was going to be tough on the idol in the room with them just to save another idol that was at the verge of turning.

"The cure is almost done, just a few more minutes." Marina said with a hint of sadness as her breath hitched to keep herself from bursting into tears. Eight's eyes lowered to the floor, and begins to have second thoughts about this, yet Onyx gave eight a soft smile to reassure her that everything will be fine. Marina gets done with the cure in the tank and walks over to the two octolings. The look that Marina was giving was tense and both Onyx and eight, they had to prepare for some news.

"Well, Riley, I have some...very despondent news." Marina's voice still has the hint of sadness, but she kept her composure, yet eight, even if she's been on the surface for a good two to three years, she still had a hard time understanding larger and more complicated words.

"Ah shit, she's using those fancy words again." Onyx said, turning her head towards eight once more. Which to eight, she tilts her head in confusion and made a confused hum noise. "Well, Eight um...Lets just say that..." Onyx pauses for a moment, and takes a breath before continuing. "What your about to hear will very likely upset you." Onyx warned the smaller octoling, which eight, begins to feel very uneasy about this.

"We have enough of the cure to cure one person, yet we'll need about 90% ink similarity to save Pearl. Yet, Riley, you only have 84% ink similarity to Pearl."

Eight's eyes widened in shock from the news, and Onyx was equally as shocked as eight.

"Seriously?" Onyx asked for confirmation from the taller octoling. "We have to extract that much ink in order to save Pearl?" Onyx gets up towards Marina.

"No what I mean is that in order for Pearl to be stable again, we have to have a very close match to her ink. Riley's ink is the closest, yet its still isn't enough." Marina's frown deepened and so did Onyx's. The older octoling sighed as she then grabbed an extraction device from the counter that had a long tube connecting to a large tank. She then gave the tube a needle and sighed heavily, knowing what was going to happen, and walked over towards the younger octoling. Onyx tells her to get onto the bed next to the unconscious Pearl, and eight did as told. Marina went over to the younger octoling, and grips onto her hand, as tears begins to form in her eyes. Eight knew what was coming, but she has to stay strong in order for her to save her friend from certain death and change.

Onyx then places the needle closely to eights chest. Eight starts to become paranoid, but Marina gripped onto the octolings hand for reassurance.

"Are you ready for this, eight?" Onyx asked eight one more time, just to make sure that the younger octoling was ready, yet surprisingly, the octoling had determination within her eyes, and nods to Onyx. The older octoling was still was surprised by the younger octoling's determination still. 

"Alright then, its now or never, eight. But before we do this, I will count to three, and I need you to look at Marina, so it will hurt less." Eight followed Onyx's instructions and looked at Marina's unique eyes. Marina squeezed her hand even harder and gave the girl a sad smile. Eight saw it within her eyes. Onyx softly counted to three slowly, so eight can be prepared.

"Will I ever see Pearl once this is all over?"

Onyx stopped before she could get the needle into the smaller octolings chest. Marina then just hugs the smaller octoling tightly and begins to sob heavily. Eight was beginning to feel teary eyed herself, hugging back Marina, and surprisingly, Onyx was beginning to feel the tension between the two. However, Onyx then spoke up towards them.

"Eight, I'm sure you'll get to see her when you wake up, but right now, there's no time, so brace yourself, OK? I am going to count to three now. Ready?" Onyx asked eight, and she nods and looks back at Marina, which Marina pulled away from their hug and grabbed her hand once more.

"You can squeeze my hand if it becomes too painful." Marina spoke for the last time to eight, a Onyx raised the needle into the air.

"1..."

"2..."

"3...."


	11. Expect the unexpected to happen

Three, four and the Squid Sisters have been running through the halls of the facility, and has past through infected inklings and octolings. Marie got hit in the leg during their fight with the infected, and sprained her ankle from tripping and suffering an attack, but thankfully, no bite. And so Marie is being carried by agent four, while agent three guides them to where ever the professor might be. They all go into a dark room like hall, and three shuts the door behind them, sealing it shut. Agent four, as they walked behind the others, begins to breathe heavily from the extra amount of weight she has to carry from the idol.

"G-Guys? C-Can we break for a little bit?" My legs are getting tired..." Four tried to do everything in her power to carry Marie as far as possible to their destined location, but her body says to rest, since she did try to get any sleep the day before, yet to no success. All of them we're exhausted, since Callie tried to sleep, but was unsuccessful, due to the bumpy ride, and fear from being infected. Many things rolled within the groups heads. However for three, eight and the fear of losing her, was the only thing swirling in her mind. Yet, she knew that she was tired too, but they can't sleep in a facility crawling with monsters in every corner they take.

"We can take a quick break, but after that, we're back on our feet." Three spoke up with no emotion in her voice. Not even a hint of emotion was in her voice. Four sighed in relief as she placed down Marie to the floor with her back against the wall, along with herself sitting down next to the idol, Callie lays down onto the floor, to at least try to help her aching feet, and three sits down having the wall touching her back from the other side of where Marie and four we're facing. Four was glad that her and the others we're able to rest only for a little bit, even if three was a bit harsh with her choice of words, she was right. They can't stay in one place for long, otherwise, they will be hunted in minutes. maybe after a minute passes, Marie finally spoke up.

"Hey, four?" She softly asked the inkling beside her. Four turned her head towards the idol with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Marie? Whats up?" Four asked the idol back, however noticed that the idol, has a very distracted and tired expression on her face, with a hint of a green blush going on her face. Four's face herself begins to heat up with a orange blush creeping its way into her face.

"I never actually asked for your name. We know the other agents names, yet I never got yours." Marie paused her sentence, so she can sit up more to face agent four better. "What is your name?" Marie asked in curiosity. Four was dumbfounded about this, even in a tight and terrifying situation. Out of all the situations, they have to be in an apocalyptic scenario, Marie just had to ask for her name. Four then shook away this thought, and answer the idol's burning question.

"Oh! My name? Its Hunter. Why do you wanna know?" Four spoke up to the idol, giving them a confused look. Marie smiled softly, and cupped a hand onto fours cheek, feeling the warmth of the inklings face course through her fingertips. Four blushed in surprise, and feeling the idols soft hand so close to her pointed ear and face, she herself, also smiled. She gently grabbed onto Marie's wrist to keep it there and closed her eyes. Marie smiled more and begins to speak once more.

"Because before all of this is over, I just...I just want to know your name, because if I die, then I am happy that I got to finally know your real name is." Marie said with a smile, yet a hint of sadness in her voice. Four also smiled, but it was a sad one, as tears begins to form in her eyes, yet Marie, with a swipe of her thumb, wiped away the tears.

"AWWWW..."Callie's voice broke through the moment that Marie and four were both having. "Both of you are so cute! I had no idea you had feelings for her, Marie!" Callie spoke with hands on both sides of her face, as she kicked her legs up and down, like a girly girl into something she loves. Both of them separated from each other, embarrassed that they forgot that they we're in front of two other people. They sit there in awkward silence, until the alarm goes off again, alerting the four inklings within the hall. The voice in the speakers within the facility goes out again, reminding the others who they are really dealing with.

"The time is nigh, mortals. With half of the world becoming my puppets, I shall rule with the power of the immortal existence and you, will be nothing but dismembered parts and fused bodies of the primal, and soon, you all shall join us within the reign the terror!" 

The voice came through before cutting off. Everyone knew that they had to get going before it is too late. Four grabs Marie to carry her again, and followed the two inklings running ahead of them. Three looked around to hear any of the primal coming towards them. And she heard them on the right seeing the red eyes in the distance, and pulls out her weapon to get ready. Callie hides behind the taller inkling and four pulls out her own weapon holding onto the idol in her arms, getting ready to strike at the infected.

"Hold on tight, Marie." Four said bracing herself as Marie did so, pulling out her own weapon to cooperate with four. Callie did the same, also bracing herself.

"Get ready, everyone. Four and Callie, protect Marie. We'll have to go through them. Don't leave anyone alive who are infected." Three states, and prepared herself as the screams and snarls gets closer and closer towards them.

"Please be OK, Riley."

~Meanwhile with Off The Hook and Onyx.~

Both Marina and Onyx we're racing the clock on saving Pearl. The extraction was complete, yet eight was pretty much limp on the bed. Her skin have lost almost its color, leaving it to be sickly pale from her normal tan skin color. Her tentacles have seemed to curl up, looking dried up, and the pink color has faded into a faded greyish-pink color. Eight was hooked up to a breathing machine and also a heart machine too, because there was barely any ink in her body to at least create more. Her body was too weak to really form anymore, so the machines hooked up to her did the work. Onyx stared at the extracted pink ink in its tank, seeing that it was a lot brighter than Pearl's normal ink color.

"Your going to be OK, Pearlie. We're gonna fix you up. Eight had to do this to save you." Marina smiled sadly at Pearl's face, which from the past two hours, Pearl's skin has faded from her normal white tan skin to a almost sickly pale, as red veins sort of bulged within her arms. Marina sighed and kissed the unconscious inklings forehead. "Your going to be OK...I promise."

"Marina. its set." Onyx's voice chimed in the silence.

"So what's the plan on saving Pearl?" Marina asked.

"So I have mixed my own ink within eight's normal ink. I have estimated it to be about 95-98% accurate to Pearl's normal ink. We can't restore Pearl's original ink since the Primal's red ink has almost destroyed it. If we just extract Pearl's regular ink while the Primal ink is still in her body, then her ink will become Primal, so this is the only option we got. We'll have to give Pearl a dose of the cure, then once the cure did its job, we'll then give Pearl the replicated ink. Its our best shot in order to save Pearl."

However Marina then asked her about eight.

"However, eight will be unconscious, so her own body can try to replenish its own ink. It'll be awhile though. In fact, I don't know if eight will be able to wake up, since we did extract most of the ink inside of her body." Onyx looked at eight, as the younger octoling was silently breathing slowly. Marina sighed, seeing how poorly eight is doing, even if there is little hope. Onyx then grabs the vile from Marina and goes over to Pearl. However, Marina places a hand onto the older octoling, and Onyx turned around to face the other.

"Are you sure this will work? We can't waste it on just Pearl, Onyx. besides I...I don't want to lose her. She's all I have in my life." Onyx looked at Marina with a calm wide eyed expression, then she looked to the side, thinking for a moment, then she sighed.

"We have enough in that tank, Marina. But, we're gonna need more than that once this is done. Remember first the cure dose, then the regular ink, got it?" Marina nods, releasing her hand off of the octoling. "Pearl only has ten minutes before her body melts and becomes those things. We still got time." Onyx walked over seeing the sickened state of Pearl made her cringe internally. She knew that they have made it this far to save the world, but right now, they needed to worry about Pearl, who's on the brink of turning. Barely any pink pigment on the inklings tentacles, and red veins were slightly shown under the skin. Onyx then grabs a needle and connects it to a syringe that will inject the ink and cure within the body, and pours the contents into the syringe.

"She's so pale...I can see her veins." Onyx points this out to Marina, who's already seen it, yet nods, getting the point. "Here goes nothing. Its life or death." Onyx then connects the needle into a vein shown on Pearl's inner arm. Onyx then looks over to Marina to make sure she was ready too. The octoling nods with hope within her eyes. Onyx breathes in and pushes down on the plunger to begin the injection. The cure begins to make its way through the barrel of the syringe, and into Pearls arm. Pearl's hand twitches from the contact of the flowing liquid circulating within her arm and up her to her body and the rest of her arm.

Onyx then grabs the larger needle containing the pink ink donated from the smaller octoling from the table behind them, and walked back over to Pearl, who's tentacles which was slowly becoming a whitish grey.

"Its working!" Marina said with excitement and hope in her voice. Onyx nods, and goes over to Pearl, and makes Pearl to lay on her stomach, since her posture laying down was on her back. Onyx then raised the larger needle to where Pearl's ink sack should be; just about in between her non-existent spine, kidneys and her internal organs. "Just in the middle." Onyx thought as the cure took its full effect in Pearl's body, causing her skin to go sickly pale, her veins faded back into the skin, her tentacles in a color of whitish grey, and breathing was slow and quiet. However even with Pearl's clothes in the way, Onyx turned her back over and unzipped her clothes to reveal more skin. Marina softly blushed by this sight, but she shook it off. It touched her heart, seeing that Onyx; the once a horrible person, ex-partner is helping her current partner.

Onyx then turned the inkling back over, feeling the skin was instead loose and moist was now dry and a normal skin feel. She then injects the larger needle into Pearl's back slowly injected the ink within the inklings body. Onyx slowly pushes the plunger down the ink into the body below her. Once the ink was all gone from the large needle, she then removed the needle from Pearl's back.

"Now...all we have to do now is wait." Onyx said as she backs away from Pearl, and back to where Marina was. Marina had her hands to her mouth, praying to herself that her partner will wake up alive and well. Onyx then leaned herself against the wall, crossing her arms and then looked back at Pearl. Marina and Onyx sees the pink pigment returning to the inklings tentacles, looking exactly like her normal hair color. Her skin was showing life again, returning to its white tan color, and the breathing was shown, as her abdomen showing signs of breathing in and out. Marina slowly walked forward to her smaller friend, and cupped her hand onto her cheek. She then reached for Pearl's hand, kissing the knuckles of the idols hands, then pulled away.

Onyx saw this, and realized just how much Marina truly cared about Pearl. It made her heart ache with guilt, realized that she could've done the same for the person she loved too, yet that was in the past. It didn't matter to her anymore. 

Then a soft groan was then heard escaping from the inklings lips. Marina heard this and her heart skipped the beat, seeing her partner okay. Onyx removed herself from the wall, still having her arms crossed, and made her way to both of the girls.

"P-Pearlie...?" Marina choked up her partners name, hoping to get a respond as tears begins to form on the octolings eyes. Then the pair of golden star-shaped eye flickered open from their slumber, squinting as the light came to her eyes, and feeling a warm sensation from the octolings hand on her cheek.

"M-Marina...?" Pearl managed to say, as her throat was dry and sounded hoarse from sleep.

"I'm here, Pearlie. I'm here." As then a massive hug shakes the idol awake. Feeling the tightness of the hug indicated that "Marina was so happy that she could cry" kind of hug. Similar to the hug she got when the A.I. was going to destroy the entire world, and she screamed the loudest booyah of all time, just to stop a laser from firing. Pearl found herself filled to the brim of happiness that was passed onto from the octoling, and she hugged back the octoling. There was always something about Marina's hugs that just made her happy.

"I'm so happy your OK, Pearlie!" Marina squealed in joy, and the octoling then gave Pearl a kiss, which surprised her, yet she melted into it immediately, kissing back the girl. Marina's hold became tighter around Pearl's body as they shared their blissful moment, finally together again. Onyx chuckled softly from this, and even found herself smiling at the scene.

But now, the question was left lingering within the air: Was eight going to wake up soon?

~Meanwhile with the agents.~

Ink, blood and internal structures we're on the floors of the facility halls. The four inklings who are now covered head to toe in this, they we're exhausted. Four continued to carry Marie on her shoulders, Callie was on the floor on her knees, feeling a bit fatigued in exhaustion, and finally three was the one standing. Three was calling the others, yet it didn't come through due to the signal down there. Little to none. She was becoming worried about the one and only octoling she cherished: Riley. All she wanted to do was to hug her tightly and promise the small octoling everything she ever wished for to happen, yet still, it was heartbreaking for her that she can't keep in touch with the others. Hell, all phones we're down, thanks to the invasion. No network equals your fucked basically.

Just within a week, their lives have went from living life to the fullest, peace with friendly unions, that just turned into a nightmarish hell that they have to live through. Everything was ripped from them in just a week, all because of a bloodthirsty scientist from the Octarians that released this hell from the depths below. It was like they've brought hell into the world that was once a peaceful landscapes that became the chaotic world that they can't escape from. 

Marie then walked up to three, after limping for a moment, and places a hand onto the larger agents shoulder which shook the inklings thoughts away. The inkling turned her head immediately to see who it was, and all she was greeted was those calm golden star eyes. It was like the idol read three's mind silently, since they did know each other for awhile ever since DJ Octavio took the great zapfish in the first place.

"Three, I am sure the others will be fine. It seems to me that Onyx knows what she's doing, so I'm sure they're okay." Marie tried to reassure three that the others are fine, yet something felt off for the agent, like as if she was missing something. Of course, eight wasn't on her side, but it was like a feeling of deep dread almost.

"I...I...I need to go back there, just to check up on them for a second." Four, Callie and Marie looked at three in utter shock.

"Three! That's like suicide if you go back there! Like Onyx said, "once we head down here, there's no going back"!" Four protested, then Callie stepped in.

"Um, four? I don't think she even ever said that." Callie said with a smirk, still having those tired eyes.

"Well to me, it sounded like she was saying something like that!" Four continued.

"Guys! I just...I am worried about...I'm just worried about them is all. I have to go back up there just to check up on them." Three lowered her head, biting her lip as she walked passed Marie and four.

"Oh my god, three! Are you serious, three?! Your just gonna leave us here, all because you want to check up on your girlfriend---!?" Before four could continue, Marie placed a forced gripped hand onto her shoulder, shutting up the agent.

"Four. Stop." Marie calmly, yet irritated, complained to four. Three showed signs of anger through her fists gripping tightly together, as the agent lowered her head as she tried to calm down hearing this rant from the other agent. However, three disappears into the darkness, but three didn't have to worry about it, thanks to her previously infected sanitized state. She was able to see through the dark easily through her right eye, yet the darkness blinded her left eye. She continued to walk through the halls searching for the lab, stepping over lumps of corpses that they previously killed, stepping through the infected ink with her shoes squishing into them like puddles made by the rain thats on the ground, and finally after a few minutes she found the lab's door. She hoped to god that her beloved octoling was okay as she gets the door opened by knocking on it to get the others attention. Then finally after a couple of agonizing seconds went by, it was Onyx who answers it.

"Oh...Hey...Your back early. Whats up?" Onyx said letting the agent walk in.

"I just wanted to check on...you...g---" Before three could continue her sentence, she noticed a certain someone, lying on the bed, lifeless. She immediately went over to see who it was, and it was eight. Everyone else knew that eight was still a coma like state ever since the extraction took place.

"Eight!? No no no no no! Eight! No! you can't be! No no NO!" Three lowered her head towards eights, gently pressing her head against the octoling as she begins to weep. Marina tried to explain to three that It was a painful process, but eight did manage to barely pull through, yet three still thought that she's actually gone. She three stood back up and curled her hands into fists, as her yellowish green hair slowly turns into the sanitized turquoise color as the marking from the right side showed a wave like effect as if it was pumping the ink within three's body. She turned her head to the side and her right eye stared directly towards Onyx with a death glare. Onyx and Marina both backed away seeing this side of three.

"You...took her...away from me..." Three said with anger building up in her voice as she turned her full body towards the octolings, then Pearl stepped in.

"Whoa chill out, three!" Pearl grabbed three's arm, and tried tugging on the arm, but was sent flying off of the agent as ease and into a wall, and Marina to Pearl's side.

"Pearlie!" Marina said as she rushed towards her smaller friend, as three marched towards Onyx.

"Onyx! you might wanna run away from her, yo!" Pearl shouted the best she could to Onyx since the wall took away the air within her lungs.

"This is all just a misunderstanding, three! Please stop it!" Marina yelled at the agent as she then threw a punch at Onyx.

"No" Onyx said as she stood her ground as she received that punch, and falls to the ground.

"I'll kill you!" Three protested as she then grabbed Onyx and throws Onyx onto the table where the cure in a tank was and other tools we're, and Onyx went under the table, knocking the table over, and the tank falls and breaks onto the floor. Marina and Pearl we're in utter shock seeing three's rage as blinded her for what she did, and Onyx gets up quickly seeing the damage that three has caused, made her very angry. After all that work, was wasted in a heartbeat.

Onyx then pulled off the wooden leg of the table, and whacks the inklings head with it, and she fell from the impact of wood meeting to her face.

"YOU IDIOT!" Onyx screamed in frustration as three regains her balance as she grabbed the broken wooden leg from Onyx and lunged to her to pin her against the wall along with choking her out. Onyx couldn't process what was happening, since it was happening so fast as she struggled in the inklings grasp, having a wooden leg against her throat tightly, and Onyx kept trying to fight the inklings hold, but her losing her oxygen wasn't helping. She tried to turn into her octopus form, but lack of oxygen wasn't gonna cut it. Then three removed the wooden leg from Onyx's neck, which gave Onyx some time to move to the side, yet was stabbed in the left side of her chest, barely missing her heart and lung.

Onyx lets out a scream in agony, as Marina and Pearl watched in horror, knowing that they have nothing to stop the crazed inkling from their rampage. Three punches Onyx to the floor, and Onyx removed the broken wooden leg off of the left side of her chest, and holding it. But, before three could do anymore damage, a muffled moan came from an octoling.

"T-Three...?"

Three's angry expression turned into hopeful yet utter shocked expression, hearing that familiar voice she knew. Then an octoling sits up slowly, rubbing their violet colored eyes, and their colors returned. It was eight, awakening from their stasis. Three's colors went back to normal and her eye stopped glowing. Her eyes filled with tears, seeing her lover is awake again. Marina and Pearl we're just as surprised as three and they get up to go over to the octoling.

"R-Riley...?" The agent asked in awe. The octoling faced the inkling with exhausted eyes, and she smiled at the inkling and the idols.

"Hi."


	12. When all is lost, theres light at the end of the tunnel

The halls was still emitted little to no light, as the lights flickered from time to time. The halls emitted low moans, distant screaming and quiet distant growls. Then multiple footsteps we're heard as agents one two and four we're running from the infect, which we're high on their tentacles. Four still carrying Marie, and Callie following them, as her cousin would help her watch out on incoming infected from behind, and once they have reached a room, four closes the door on the infected as their snarls and the clawing on the metal was heard from the other side.

"Damnit! When is the time when we need three!?" Four exclaimed as she puts down Marie against the wall, and she looks at the camera's from a computer in the room with them. "Shit, there's too many out there! We'll need to stay in here, until they are gone!" Four said with shock in her voice. 

"Thanks to three leaving us behind, now we're all fucked!" Marie raised her head towards the agent with some concern in her eyes, seeing agent four beginning to lose hope. Callie looked at four in surprise. "We can't fight that lot outside! We're all fucked!" Four continued to rant in anger.

"Four..." Marie said with a quiet voice.

"And if three was here with us, then we would've been OK! Those things would been dead in an instant!" Four continued becoming angrier through the rant.

"Four." Marie's voice starts becoming stern, trying to get the agents attention. Callie looks down starting to become upset hearing this from an agent who was usually a go-getter type. Hell, even Marie knew this.

"And now, we are alone, we're stuck in a dead end, AND no one is gonna help---!" Four then heard Marie's voice through her small outburst she was having.

"Hunter!" Marie said finally getting the agents attention. Four looks over the Marie, who had a very stern look on her face. Four's anger settled down, as Marie tried to manage to stand up. Four then went over to Marie to stop her.

"N-No Marie, don't hurt yourself more. Your leg is still damaged from that attack we had earlier. So please, don't push yourself." Four said as she sets down the idol once more. Callie sits down further away from both of the squid as she listened to the distant sounds coming outside. They we're still not in the clear yet. But Four leans away from Marie and she begins to curl up herself, wrapping her arms around her own knees, and begins to softly cry to herself. Marie saw this, and placed a hand onto the agents back.

"Hunter..." Marie starts as she begins to shush the agent gently, trying to get the agent to calm down. "Don't cry, please. I hate to see someone cry...Especially when it comes from you, Hunter." Marie calmly suggested, but the agent protested on her crying. She couldn't help it. She was so exhausted that she wanted this madness to stop. Marie could tell the agents distress from all of this. Marie then just placed her head onto the agents shoulder, gently patting at her back, and along with the patting came with the hugging. However, being this is position did make Marie's back feel a bit uncomfortable, so she shifted agent fours body to lean against her own body, so they could hold each other better. To be honest, Marie loved this. She smiled softly at the agent below her, yet she knew the inkling was in deep distress. So, for her appreciation that the inkling has done for her, she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and proceeded to kiss the inklings head. The agent felt a lot better from this, feeling this comforting vibe that Marie was giving off, yet her distress was just barely going away, but being in the comfort of someone she liked, it felt very nice.

"I'm sorry Marie, I just...I'm just so...tired of all of this." Marie looks down at the agent, nodded and hummed in agreement. She looked over to Callie who was watching the monitor on the floor, barely holding on to consciousness herself. Marie knew all of them we're tired, so she begins to stroke at agent fours back slowly with a up and down motion, which was causing the tensed back muscles to relax at this, and fours tensed hands also loosened. And finally, the agent was asleep on Marie's stomach. Callie looked over to the two, which Marie swiftly made a "Shh" gesture with her hand along pressing a finger on her own lips, to keep Callie from being a fangirl about it again. Yet, Callie kept her composure, nodded, and smiled brightly at her cousin. 

Marie was beginning to feel sleepy herself, and softly yawned. The adrenaline within the squids we're wearing off, which was keeping them up, was now declining. But, they we're in a closed space with the door locked shut, the primal who we're just in the distant was still audible to the ears of the idol, but what if she just closed her eyes? She'll just take a quick power nap, while leaving Callie in charge to watch over them. She felt...blissful, with the inkling in her arms.

"I'll just...Take a quick nap...All three of us need one...I'm sure the others will find us eventually." She said in a whispered, yet tired voice into the agents ear, causing it to twitch softly.

"They couldn't be too far away..." Marie softly spoke her last words before drifting off to sleep. Callie watched them with a hand on her jaw, sighing blissfully herself, and she begins to feel sleepy herself. She stretched herself and placed down her weapon, and closed her eyes. She also hoped the others would find them in time, and wake them up in time.

Three was astonished to see that eight was okay and well. Eight gently lets herself down from the bed and three gives eight a big hug, and causing the octoling to giggle happily to see that three was okay and still alive as well. Marina and Pearl we're very relieved that eight is okay too, and Marina hugs eight after three did. They talked for a moment, completely forgetting the real subject. Onyx gets up slowly from the beatdown she received from an inkling agent, and saw everyone's happy faces from reunion.

"Eight I am so happy you made it!" Marina exclaimed as she continued to hug the smaller octoling.

"You had me worried there for a minute, love." Three said, holding the octoling's hand.

"Whoo! My girl eight is back, yo!" Pearl said excited, giving eight a noogie.

"Ah!" Eight jumped a little, but giggled seeing her friends and maybe her family was back together at last. However, it seems that they have totally forgotten who was in the room with them the whole time, when they hear Onyx's voice boom in the room.

"What. Is. THE MEANING OF THIS?! Onyx exclaimed in anger. Everyone then looked at her in shock and with confusion in they're eyes.

"We're dealing with the elephant in the room, and then you guys decide to have some happy reunion!? Now isn't the fucking time!" Onyx angrily stated to the other cephalopods in the room. "And thanks to miss. needs anger management over here ruined everything for us!" Onyx stated as she points to three. Three just glared at her, until she realized why Onyx was angry: It was because three smashed Onyx to the table that the tank filled with the cure got smashed from impacting the ground from her previous anger outburst. Three realized this, and saw the substance on the floor, and so does eight.

"Oh no...Three?" Eight asked to confirm if three really did this, but wasn't able to get an answer from the inkling. Only silence and guilt came from her. "Three, d-did you...?" Eight asked again, then three spoke up, turning her head to the octoling.

"Eight, I...I was just...I didn't mean to." Three confirmed to the octoling, which a wave of worry washed upon the octolings violet colored eyes.

"You didn't mean to? YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO?!" Onyx then throws a chair in the room, alerting everyone's attention to the angry octoling, as the chair smashes onto a window shattering it, causing Marina and eight to yelp in surprise. "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO ANYMORE!!! NOW LOOK AT THE MESS YOU'VE CAUSED!!!" Onyx angrily stated to the agent. "We we're fine without you, three. And if you would've been patient for another three minutes, then we would've saved and cured everyone! But no...you decided to check on your damn girlfriend, so because of your goddamn anxiety, you've killed us all!" Three had nothing to say at this point. Everyone was silent as Onyx...begins to tear up.

"I have worked...so hard...for this moment, and for what now? Nothing. We're all doomed. We're all fucked all because, you can't control yourself." Onyx finished. She then goes over to a wall, sits down, and sobs. Curling up her knees to her chest as she sobs. Everyone felt like they just saw someone die right before them and they have no idea how to react. Three lowered her head and lets out a sigh. Marina and Pearl embraced each other, and eight looked up at Onyx for a moment then back to three.

"Three?" Eight breaks the silence which catches the inklings attention

"Yes?" Three answered softly, but she wasn't prepared for the question she was asked

"Where's Callie, Marie and agent four?"Three's eyes widened, realizing that she left them out there.

"Ah, shit." Three responded.

"Three!" Eight exclaimed in worry. "You left them behind!?" Marina's hands go to her mouth with Pearl just slapped the agent.

"You left them to come check on us!?" Pearl screeched at the agent in anger.

"I know my mistake! We can go back and find them if there is still time!" Three responded to everyone who was shouting at her, but then they hear that alarm outside again, but due to the window being shattered and the speaker destroyed from Onyx in the room, they hear the voice from earlier as well.

"Isn't this sweet? You've made the cure, but one of you has now ruined everything. Now that would've been something we could've made. You all had one chance to save the planet, but no. Now, just to tell you, we have your friends. They are very much alive, but not for long. Our friends are starving for them, and your time is running out. Prepare yourselves, as almost the entire world has been infected with our ink. Join us, and we promise to make your deaths a quick one, if not, then prepare for a whole world of pain reigned upon you all." The speaker cuts off.

"Fuck! Okay! Guys! We need to hurry and get to our friends! ASAP! We don't have time to discuss a plan! We need to find that scientist and stop him! Come on, Onyx" Three tells everyone, and so, eight gets up from her bed, they grab their weapons and hurry out, but Marina realizes that Onyx was still lingering in the room. She stopped and told the others she'll catch up to them, and heads back to the room again.

"Onyx? Are you coming with us? Or...?" Onyx remained silent, still curled up. Marina sighed then spoke again. "I am sorry, Onyx. I should've known this would happen. I wish there was something else we could do, And I thank you for trying. I just wish there was some other way to make the cure to make it airborne afterwards to save the planet. And I am happy that you have showed me you have tried to change everything." Marina turned her head seeing the others we're calling for her. "I must go now, Onyx. Please, Onyx, if it doesn't hurt, you have made the cure before, right? I'm sure there is another way. Don't give up now." Marina then leaves the octoling in the room.

Onyx then lifted up her head, watching Marina leave the room, along with the door slowly closing behind her too. She sighed in grief after hearing those words from someone who has hated her in the past. She sighed once again, and looks at the whitish grey rainbow tinted ink splattered on the floor next to a broken ink tank. She reached a hand to the substance, and felt the gooey contents. However, she pulled away from it as if she was burned, letting out a groan, but what she saw, shocked her.

"It can't be...it's still..." Onyx was stunned seeing the cure taking effect on her hand. It still worked, even if there was shards of glass in it. "Even skin contact can still work, like how turf war works when your nearly splatted. It'll absorb into your skin, not just into your blood stream." She gets back up and grabs the extraction machine and a large needle off of the ground and goes to a medical table in the room, rather than the wooden one which is broken. She looks at the cure on the ground, then went over to it, and extracts it off of the ground, avoiding all of the large glass shards in it. She goes back over to the bed and gripped the needle in her hand.

"I've got to make a machine that can turn ink airborne...Wait, that it!" She then runs to the tech room, remembering where it was before, since she has been down here before, she sees the "Make it rain!" broken down, but still functional. "I need to make a giant cloud that won't go away after a few seconds of use, but long enough that will go around the world and follow the air and wind. Along with it being heat and cold resistant. Marina and I did this before, and I can do it again."

She gets to work with the machine to make liquid ink to airborne ink. But, she'll have to be quick about it, because its a race against time. Everybody's fate now lies in Onyx's hands.


	13. The final stretch of the battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action scene and gore warning ahead.

Three, eight and Off The Hook, we're all running quickly through the massive hallway, as the alarms continue to blare through the facility. However they made into this one giant room and the doors behind them then closed. Eight went over to the door and saw that it can be accessed only outside, so there was no way out now.

"Shit! We're trapped!" Pearl exclaimed in worry. "I hope this is the right way to that damn bastard, because I am ready to kick his sorry ass!" Pearl yelled, yet Marina places a hand onto the inklings arm, and try to calm her down.

"Language ,Pearlie." She said calmly. "I am sure we can try to find a way out of here." She said softly to the inkling. Pearl sighed, but hoped Marina was right about that. However eight then noticed a screen slowly being adjusted downward to be seen clearly by the group.

"Whats that?" Eight points at the screen and it stops just on a ledge. Everyone looks at it in confusion, as it turns on, and only static was seen on it for a second until a face appeared on it.

"It is I, that is what." The figure spoke from the static filled screen. Everyone jumped a bit when the loud voice went through the speakers. Three gets in front of eight, indicating protection towards the young octoling, which in turn, eight braces three. So does Pearl, getting in front of Marina as she spins her dualies in her hands. Marina placed a hand onto Pearl's shoulder holding her hand there as the figure continued to speak on screen.

"How sweet of all of you are here to save your friends that three has left behind. And now they are all under my command. Such a shame that we may have underestimated all of you making it this far. But, its time to be put to the test." The doors on the other side of the room open, revealing the squid sisters and agent four. But something was off with them. All three of them has this cloudy smog like aura surrounding them, along with then having these computer chips onto their arms which is pumping the red ink into their bodies alone, and they all growled at the rest of the group. Their eyes showing a bloodlust expression along with their pupils glowing brightly. And behind them came in more of the infected, all growling and ready to attack the group who wasn't infected.

Three stared at the squid sisters and agent four with such shock, that guilt flooded into her eyes. Tears come pouring down three's face feeling so much guilt for those she has left behind. Eight squeezed three's waist, also shocked seeing her friend and idols siding with the infected. Marina has her hands up to her mouth in shock, horrified and upset to this sight, and Pearl's jaw dropped in surprise and shock as well.

"They are still very alive, yet let them on like this, this they will surely become more than just your typical hypnotized friends. Because right now, my army of Primal's are getting very impatient seeing your fresh flesh with them. Now go, my army, kill everything you see in sight! Show them who is the real ultimate life form!" The figure's voice boomed, and the screen shuts off as the infected screeched and screamed and charged to the group, along with agent 4, Marie and Callie running towards them. Sure, they weren't infected, yet they sure acted like them, even if hypnotized by the ink.

"Guys! Don't hurt the squid sisters and agent four! We need them alive! And we need to find a way to remove those chips from their arms!" Three exclaimed as she raised her weapon, and runs towards the crowd of infected. Eight followed behind. Pearl and Marina looked at each other for a moment, nodding to each other, ready to face these creatures since the beginning of this mess, raised their guns as well, and runs after three and eight. The infected ran at the group like a pack of hungry rabid wolves, running on all fours, or quickly stumbling towards them. 

Three we're the first to swing at the infected with her hand-made weapon from a few days ago, decapitating the heads, and slicing through them. Eight followed behind, hacking away at the heads of the infected, then came Pearl and Marina, shooting them one by one. No matter how many were there, they just kept on coming. The group then grouped up again, forming a circle, facing the infected.

"They just keep on coming! We need help!" Pearl screams as she was then tackled by an infected. Marina saw this, terrified of losing her best friend again, she then shoots the infected.

Click

But, instead of a bullet of black ink coming out, nothing. She was out of black ink. Panic was beginning to set in once again, as the infected keeps struggling with Pearl as it tried to bite and claw at the inkling, but instead was hacked from behind by eight. They both acknowledged each other with smiles as a silent thank you, and your welcome. However, a low pitched woman yelp coming from the taller broad inkling. Eight's eyes widened in horror seeing why she yelped.

It was because three got bit by one of the infected.

Eight yelled for three, but she was then tackled by Callie who was hypnotized by this cloudy red ink that was pumped out from the device attached to her arm. She screamed as she fought back with Callie. But, then she noticed how Callie was behaving. Sure, she was being controlled, but it seemed that she was in pain rather than in control. It was like an urge that Callie so desperately wanted to go away, so she followed the primal ink's orders, so it wouldn't hurt her more than she already is. Eight needed to do something fast, before she will be swarmed by infected soon, so she pushed off Callie off of her at ease, and then pinned down the idol, removing the chip from her arm. Callie's eyes and colors went back to normal and the smog disappeared.

"U-Ugh, huh? Eight? What's happening?" Callie said as she held her head, dizzy from the aftermath of the effects. However, the idol couldn't stand up any longer from being so dizzy, and eight catches her from falling onto the floor.

"You we're under control, not anymore. Just try and stay awake for me, OK?" Eight said as she hacked at another infected who tried to attack, but failed. Eight moved away from the crowd, carrying a now passed out Callie on her shoulder. "Guys! I got Callie! She's OK! We now need Marie and four!" She yelled at the others. "Marina and Pearl!" She yelled at the duo, getting their attention. "Hurry! Three needs help! She's been bitten!" The due nodded, and hurried over the the agent who is under a swarm of infected inklings.

However, they then see this glowing turquoise color within them, and all of them we're just sliced in half by this turquoise ink colored looking scorpion tail. And they saw who did this, and what this tail belonged to.

It was three. The tail belonged to her.

They saw that sanitation ink coursed and pumped through her usual yellow ink color, like as if it was a heart, which it then turned into that turquoise color that eight remembered when she fought her in the metro. But, instead of having that goop on the right side of her face, it was like it developed down her back like as a thick fluid going down a wall. The tips three's hands begins to elongate into sharp points having that turquoise color, and they hardened to become claws. Along with that, her pupils begins to glow that color, as the goop then formed onto both sides of her head turning into a form of horns, and the tail swirled around for a moment before splitting into two. She lets out an almost animalistic screech, getting every infected inkling and octoling's attention. They stopped at attacking the group, and so they all headed for three.

Meanwhile, Pearl was busy with a hypnotized Marie, who was trying to claw at Pearl's skin, but then Marina went from behind holding her close and secure along with now her empty gun against the inklings body. Marie continued to struggle within the octolings grasp, and Pearl gets up, and removes the chip from the arm. Marie's face went from anger to shock, then nothing as her eyes closed and head hung down. Apparently Marie passed out, just like Callie did after suffering from the effects, and now has to deal with the aftermath.

"Now we need to get four!" Pearl exclaimed. Marina nods as she went over to eight, who was watching over the unconscious Callie. Pearl looks around, yet found four going after three instead. Four was stubborn, and was even more stubborn since she now has to take orders to a mad octoling scientist. She knew four was gonna die if she stays with that group of primal's. So, she made a hasty decision, by throwing on of the dualie weapons she was holding. Thankfully she managed to hit the agents head, which caught their attention immediately.

"Hey! Four! Over here!" Pearl shouted at the hypnotized agent, and in turn, the agent runs past the other infected who we're after three, and lungs towards the idol. The agent was very aggressive to Pearl, but that didn't stop the idol, since Pearl had back up with Marina holding her back, and so they removed the chip off of her arm. Agent four slowly snapped out of it, and her body went back to normal, however like the others, passed out as well. Marina dragged four away to safety, while Pearl went to take care of the infected.

She saw three fight viciously, like as if she was this deranged animal, having these two scorpion like tails, and possessing claws, so three was fine on her own. Pearl continued taking on the ones that kept on coming from the door, but only for a bit, because she heard that familiar dreaded click that no one wants to hear when you run out of ink.

Click Click Click

She was now officially out of that black ink that the infected hated. She then threw those guns at the infected to at least distract them, and ran towards her friends.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Pearl yelled in panic as she heads towards her friends. The other's noticed that a few of the primal we're following pearl who was running towards them. Eight and Marina weren't too thrilled about the smaller idol's decision, but thankfully, three was there to help, by chopping off the heads of the primal. Pearl thanked three, which three nodded and went on, slicing heads and bodies to bits with her tails, not seemingly effected by the bites of the primal ink that the infected inflicted bites and claw marks, but they were all covered up by the sanitation ink.

Which was its original counterpart. So the question was that how can you infect something thats already been infected? That's the question.

After several more heads and bodies we're sliced and melted into the goop onto the floor, and left with dried out heads and limbs, the room fell silent, and it seems that the doors that unleashed those things are gone. Three's extra sanitized limbs went away, as the ink was absorbed back into her body, like it did when she was defeated by agent eight beck in the metro. Eight went over to the dizzy agent and grabbed her before she fell over. Three looked over to eight and seeing the octoling's face made three snap out of her dizzy state, and hugged the smaller octoling tightly.

"Eight. Your OK. You didn't bit didn't you?" Three went to inspect the girl, and eight gently chuckled.

"I'm alright, three. No bites on me, see?" Eight looked at three with a smile and three just hugged the octoling again.

"OK, good. I just...I can't lose you again, love." Three said with a faint whisper, which eight caught it, and just gave the inkling a kiss on the cheek for reassurance, and the agent took it gladly. the others went over to the two. Agent four managed to wake up first, yet the Squid Sisters we're still out cold. Marina carried Callie, while four carried Marie. Three and eight then looked back at them.

"We we're worried about ya, three! And you didn't tell us you could do that!" Pearl exclaimed as she gestured the scorpion tails. Three scratched behind her head sheepish, as she looked down as well.

"Well...I..." Three began to speak, but was cut off by eight.

"There was a time after she was partially sanitized, she would have nightmares about what happened, same for me since...well the tests from the metro scarred me for life. But, thanks to Marina and Pearl, you two saved me and Captain Cuttlefish. And if it wasn't for you, three? I would've became that...goop that the telephone would've created. You did the right thing, Lea. But really, the sanitation ink only activates when her mind is...well I would say "unaware." Eight said as she grabbed onto three's arm, which the agent took gladly. But, I guess the reason why we're together was...we had each other's backs when we went through the bad stuff that would happen just by simply waking up from a nightmare, or having an anxiety or PTSD attack, And I thank you for that, Lea." Eight said as she hugged the taller agent. 

Marina had her hands to her mouth in awe and squealed happily. 

Pearl had the biggest grin on her face, happy to hear this little speech coming from a shy octoling.

Three on the other hand, was on the verge of crying as she hugged the octoling tightly in her arms.

"AWWWW! Both of you are so cute together!" A voice chimed in. It was Callie, who is finally conscious once again, as the ex-idol ran over to them. Four also followed the idol from behind, along with carrying Marie, who was also awake.

"You guys OK? Nothing bitten?" Four asked in concern too. Everyone just laughed, knowing everyone was OK just by their faces, and how they knew each other. But, that was shut down, when that same voice boomed into the speakers.

"You may have won this little round in my arena, but its still isn't over. You will have to face your greatest enemy that you all have been waiting for! I have been rotting and waiting for my time to come. And now, its finally here." The voice cuts off, as the door opened in front of the group, revealing a tall male octoling wearing a large, but dirty and ripped up lab coat, black pants, and boots. His hair style has his tentacles hanging off the right side of his face, curly yet long. But what's described as "normal" looking, well he wasn't. His eyes we're red and bloodshot, looking glazed as if they have been dead for some time. His skin was a bit tan, along with bulging red veins, as if you look closely, they steadily pumped the ink within the mad scientist. He had this crooked smirk on his face as he slowly approached the group.

"It is all a pleasure meeting you all here. I am very surprised that all of you have made it in one piece. I thought that my army of primal's would've taken care of you by now." The scientist said as he still, slowly approached the group. 

Pearl then speaks up.

"Yeah?! Well, your just this psycho octo who wants to destroy everything to become the most powerful and become the immortal! Well, here's some news for ya! We're here to take back our land and kick your ass!" Pearl said with ever confidence in her voice, as she raised a fist in the air. 

Four joined in and so did Callie, following the smaller inklings words. Marina then went to hold Pearl's hand as she glared at the scientist with determination in her eyes. Marie was put down, able to walk again, now the sprang in her ankle is gone, and she had a look of confidence in her eyes as well. Eight wrapped her arm around three's bigger one, and they all raised their weapons towards the scientist. However, the octarian scientist just laughed. They begin to become confused, but also unprepared to what the scientist got in store for them.

"Oh, isn't this just sweet? Seven against one. Doesn't that seem fair? Well, if you are truly up to the challenge to face me and my friends, then so be it." He gives of a crazed grin.

"What do you mean by "your friends", sucker? Your alone in this!" Pearl said, but was becoming nervous now.

"Oh, Pearl you entertain me with such stubbornness. To show you all my appreciation by making it this far, I will help you awaken from your world of mortality." He said this with an evil grin on his face, and soon his eyes went completely red and glowed, as he gives off a dark chuckle.

"Let the bloodshed reign." He said, as then the puddles of red ink begins to bubble. His eyes also began to glow that ominous red color

"What? What's he doing?" Pearl asked, becoming more and more nervous backing away behind Marina. Three looked around in concern, watching the ink on the floor bubble like a water in a boiling pot. Callie and Marie goes back to back looking side to side, watching what's happening and whats gonna happen. Eight holds onto three, remembering those times in the metro, remembering how the sanitation ink bubbled as a boss appeared from it, but being around three made her feel safe, at least only for this bit. Four gets in front of the squid sisters, even if they are back to back together. They we're ready for what was going to happen, but they we're not prepared for what the scientist got in store for them.

The bubbling red ink then slowly started to slither to the scientist, as if they we're entranced to go to the mad man. They begin to surround the man with its contents as he begins to laugh maniacally.

"This is the true power of the primal ink. And I think all of you will be perfect to meld among us, And I thank you for making me stronger. Now, we will have our revenge on the world for abandoning me, and the world will burn in an inferno of hate!" The scientist finished as the ink swarmed his face and the ink begins to mold a new form of whatever the scientist was gonna become.

"You will pay for all of the pain you have caused, doctor!" Marina screamed at him as the body molded and morphed into something larger and more dangerous. The group begins to back away, watching this thing form. However, the alarm goes off again, as the screen then turns on, only going to static, and eight noticed this.

"Guys! Look!" Eight exclaimed, pointing at the screen getting everyone's attention. They all look at the screen that was glitching badly, along with its static, and soon, the screen reveals a person behind it. It looked like some poor quality recorded message, but in that message revealed a familiar face.

Onyx.

"Is this thing on? OK it is. Alright, guys, If you are seeing this message, it is important for you to listen. But, if you are dead, then well, this is just useless since I'm probably gonna die after this is done. But, if your still alive, then listen carefully . This is our only hope, and I have figured it all out. I have created a device that will spread the cure into the world by airborne. It's like the "Make it rain!" machine you use in turf war, but even better. It will last a long longer than normal. And also, the scientist you maybe have encountered, was obsessed with this creation he has made, and a surprisingly, DJ Octavio even knew about this, which was why he was banned from the military a long time ago. Ironic, don't you think? But, I am getting side tracked. The scientist probably has melded with those things already since he's infected himself with it, and experimented on his own body. He has dreamed of unleashing this thing into the world, which he has, but this is the only thing that can save us all." She then shows the advanced "Make it rain!" device on screen to show everyone what it looks like.

"We don't have much time. We have only twenty-four hours left, before the whole world is doomed from the primal ink. And, I have no choice to make this last ditch effort to at least redeem myself, and save many by extracting as much black ink from my body to create more of the cure. Once the process is complete, you must hurry back into the lab. Destroy and unstabilize whatever you can from him, because he will be impossible to kill once he has melded with those things. So, this is the only thing that can kill him, and save everyone else. And...Marina?" Onyx finishes her sentence, which Marina in the room with the group, looked at the saddened octoling with confusion yet concern. "If I don't make it out alive, then..." Onyx pauses before with tears beginning to roll down her icy blue eyes.

"Don't remember me, OK?"

Such a odd choice of words coming from her. Marina, was baffled. She knew that most octolings will remember her as a brute and a fierce soldier and leader within the Octarian military. Many octolings have suffered traumatic blows from her, and soon she became known within the community to be feared. But, she understood, and lowered her head.

"Good luck everyone, and I am thankful that all of you believed in me. Now my time has come to redeem all of my previous actions. Time to be a hero everyone---" It cuts off as the electricity is smashed by the blob. Everyone then turned their attention to the blob forming and morphing still. 

The blob then morphed into something like a giant mass with tendrils, very large mouth with large teeth and spikes protruding from its body. Then a long, tentacle, octoling limb like tail was grown in the back. However, it then raises itself up by poles on the ceiling with its tendrils, and its stomach is now revealed, but they saw so many faces of octolings and inklings, all groaning and moaning in pain as the scientists body is revealed on top of the mass. His legs fused into the mass, and now his hands are now elongated with long claws on his fingers. Multiple eyes then opened within the mass, along with multiple red glowing ones too. The mass that the scientist has become is large in size, tall as a small two story home. The scientist, now this monstrosity, begins to speak. His voice now husky and distorted as he looks down at the group, looking at him in shock and terror.

"Even though Onyx would've finished the project, but her stubbornness led her to be infected, yet surprisingly, she has lived after all this time, going with infecting herself with only fifty percent of the cure being completed, I would've thought she could pull it off, but she was just a miserable person. But now with her dead, it will be a pleasure for you to join us when we are done with you." He said with a toothy demonic grin on his face.

Our hero's are gonna be in one hell of a fight with this monster.

A tendril was then heading towards the group, along with another one flicking itself, ready to go at the group as well. It was heading towards three and eight, but she managed to hit the tendrils from wrapping around either one of her friends by tearing it off with a slash of her man-made weapon. She growled under her breath, feeling that this much force to tear a tendril with one strike, she was gonna feel it tomorrow. If she manages to live, that is. Another head towards agent four and the squid sisters, which four's reaction time was a tad slow, however Marie took care of it by whacking it, which four was surprised by this. Marie gave her a smile, which made four blush a bit, but she was ready to kick the monsters ass fully now. She wasn't scared anymore, because she has her friends with her.

Callie freaked out a little, seeing one of the smaller tendrils heading towards her, but Pearl steps onto it, and three smashes it. Callie was relieved by this, and Pearl gave her a thumbs up, however she then hears a yelp from a certain octoling, she saw Marina being held up by the tendrils and was struggling to get free.

"Rina! I got you!" Pearl went over and drop kicked the tendril, and it lets go of her. Marina gets up, and thanks Pearl by smiling at the inkling and nodding as well. Pearl only winked at her, which caused the octoling to blush as well. Three smashed and whacked the remaining tendrils and they all slither back to the mass. The group thought they have done it, but they were wrong.

The heads within the trapped mass then made their way out of the giant mass and they begin to form into a large mass themselves.

"Oh great! Those things are reforming again!" Pearl yelled out.

"Take it down and don't get distracted! The scientist is what we're concerned about!" Marie called out to the group.

"Lets take these fuckers down!" Four said with confidence in her voice. "This ain't over yet!" However a tendril then whacks her hard, knocking her over onto the floor. "Ah...OK, like three said, don't get distracted." Marie helped four up, and smashed the tendril that hit four to the floor. The second large, yet smaller mass formed a humanoid shaped body, but it goes onto all fours, creating a digitigrade like stance of a dog. And even so, its face seemed featureless with no eyes, but it did have a singular red eyes in the middle of its head. A large gapping mouth revealed large needle like teeth and a slender long slimy tongue. Large claws protruded through its hands onto the floor and extra heads were shown on its back, along with a spine like tail forming in the back of the creature. It roared, letting a terrible screeching sound, causing many of the group to hold their ears. Then the creature lunged towards the group.

"Get out of the way!" Three screamed at the others which the creature kept on running and then it ran into a wall. Eight saw that giant eyes on its head now exposed. She ran to it, seeing its weakness. Three saw this and yelled at eight to not get near it as the tail whacked eight so hard with its sharp end of its tail, that eight now having a large wound on the left side of her stomach, and she went flying to a wall and hitting her head, knocking her out cold. Marina was mortified, seeing this sight as similar to Pearl's, but all she could do was to put her hands to her mouth in shock. Pearl saw this as well, and her eyes widened in concern seeing the smaller octoling onto the floor. Three however, took haste, and ran towards her girlfriend in fear, and landing onto her knees, not even caring about skinning them onto the hard floors and slides towards the octoling.

"EIGHT!? EIGHT! NO!!! Three screamed to eight and wrapped her arms around the octoling. She saw the giant cut that the monster created, and held down the wound with her hand, yet eight was unconscious. She was gonna die from blood loss rather than ink loss. Three was quietly begging for eight to wake up, and show any signs of life as the octoling's skin was beginning to become paler. Three held the octoling close to her, and cried. The scientist just laughed maniacally at this scene.

"Oh how I love such scenery. It pleases me to see that the person who saved another will be dead. You all are no match for my creatures. Surrender to us, and you all will be killed quickly." The monster runs back at the others, which in turn they moved out of the way, but saw it was heading towards three and eight.

"Three! Its heading towards you!" Marie yelled.

"Three!" Marina also shouted.

"Get outta there, three!" Pearl yelled.

However, tendrils grab onto the group, wrapping their slender snake like bodies around the bodies of the cephalopods. They all struggled trying to break free from the grasp that the scientist put them in. He laughs, making everyone watch the creature running at the two cephalopods from below. Everyone begged and screamed at three to move out the way.

But three sat there still. It was like everything went in slow-motion, as everyone stared in shock at the two as the monster was heading towards three and eight. The monster opened its jaw to bite down at three and eight, and it was like in a flash, they were gonna enter the creatures maw. But, the monster wasn't able to bite down, but instead, its maw was forced opened as a pair of tan hands kept it open. The creature struggled to close its gaping maw, but was unsuccessful as something was pulled from it inside.

"Whats this?" The scientist perked up. The monster fell silent a sit slowly begins to dry out after its innards was pulled out from within. Everyone fell silent and the monster falls over, revealing what caused its innards to be pulled out.

It was three...But...They see her as sanitation ink has covered her body. They watched as the ink then revealed what it did underneath which revealed three's new form. It seemed like her skin only on her back, arms and thighs has this skin where it would transition from her normal tan skin to the turquoise ink color. The sanitation ink creates that similar gooey structure to make that horn like materiel on her head, like that time she was partially sanitized to fight agent eight. Her fingers now have sharp, curved claws, and so did her feet. And within the skin that was now that turquoise color, it has spikes in them, and they were where her the ends of her elbows, the back of her ankles and her spine having spikes going down her back. She opened her eyes, only revealing glowing turquoise colored pupils, and she made a gurgled growling noise through her newfound gills on her neck and her mouth gapping open, revealing a vast row of sharp teeth, somewhat tinted with that same color.

"I...Will...Kill...Every...Single....One...Of...You..." Three spoke in her more distorted deeper voice.

"Impossible...The sanitation ink was destroyed long ago." The scientist said with a slight hint of surprise in his hollow, husky and distorted voice.

"That...Is...Where...You...Are...Wrong..." She responded, as she steps closer, until that same scorpion tail came out of her rear end, and it sliced through the red tendrils holding the group in the air, and they all fall to the floor. The group scrambled away from the mass and into the other side of the room, however Marina ran over towards eight, grabbed her and went back to the group.

"What the hell is happening?! And what happened to three!?" Marie yelled.

"I think that is the result of her being partially sanitized long ago, and it has been reawakened at this." Marina responded. Three lets out a screeched as she lunges to the mutated scientist, then they hear that alarm go off, and the doors to the outside opened, just like Onyx's promised.

"Guys! Come on! let's go!" Pearl yelled seeing the doors open, and runs there. The group followed behind as Marina carried eight.

"What about three!?" Callie yelled, looking back.

"She'll be fine! Lets go!" Agent four yelled out to the inkling, and kept running. They all ran out of there quickly to safety, and now there is just one last thing to do; Get the cure and save the world, before its too late.


	14. One final thing to do

The group, having agent four, the Squid Sisters Callie and Marie, and Off The Hook Pearl and Marina who's carrying eight, are running through the halls to get to where Onyx has told them to go. They knew that they needed to get to the lab, before its too late, while three, who is now in her berserker form, is taking care of the crazed mutated scientist, while the group goes to get the cure. They finally find the lab which the door was open, and the lab was still kind of destroyed from three's outburst, but they saw another ink tank and it seems to be containing the cure's contents. The tube has a tube connected to the top that was leading to a plug that was inserted to a dried out body.

It belonged to Onyx, and her skin seemed to be completely white, no colors on the tips of her tentacles or fingers. They we're just grey. And plus, Onyx wasn't even barely breathing. She was gone. Dead. The group saw this sight, making Marina gasp in shock and becoming upset by this while holding eight in her arms still, Pearl lowered her head, sighing, Marie and Callie we're just in utter shock and no words we're able to come out from their mouths, and four felt utter pity for Marie to see such a sight, and placing her hand onto Marie's hand, gently squeezing it for comfort. Marie looked down at their hands, and smiled looking up to four, but four turned around, feeling heat creep into her face.

Callie was the first to speak.

"Jeez, I had no idea that someone would just do this to get where we need to be." Sorrow was within her voice, and everyone else looked at her with the same shocked, yet saddened expressions. Everyone knew it was for the greater good for cephalopod kind.

"Callie, somethings are for the better. She did this for us, and for the world." Marie said as she goes over to the machine that said, "Extraction complete. Please remove plug from object." And she looked over to Onyx, who was laying there limp with the plug in her back. Marie cringed a bit feeling a bit nauseous from from the scene of having ink extracted from your own body. Then four removes the needle like plug from Onyx's back, which comes out like a sliding mush sound, to it, everyone then cringed.

"UGH! Four! Why did you do that!?" Pearl yelled in disgusted.

"What? She's gone already." Four said coldly. Marie face palmed her head and sighed.

"But, you don't have to do that, even if the machine is done." Marie states as she steps away from Onyx's body. Marina places down eight's sleeping form, and bandages up the cut. But, also remembers the words from Onyx, "If an inkling or octoling is injected, scratched or bitten by those things, you'll become one of them. Marina was dreading that eight was gonna become those things out there, since she was slashed in the stomach by one, before three lost it.

"Everyone, we need to focus on getting the cure airborne, since Onyx has figured out to turn ink into air molecules by a device, and sending it out to the air outside, since she did say the winds will take it. Onyx left this for us, and we will all finish it." Marina goes over to the second tank full of the cure that Onyx has ready for them, and unplugs the tub connecting to the extraction machine. The, she goes over to the "Make it rain!" machine next to the tube and connects it to the extraction machine. She did several tests on it, and finally, the ink was now airborne, and what came out was this glittery rainbow colored air.

"It works! Everyone! I've done it! It's now airborne!" Marina said with triumph in her voice. Pearl then hugged the octoling.

"Finally! Now, lets blow this joint and save the world, yo!" Pearl said, however Marie then chimed in.

"Are you sure you've got it to travel in air now? What if this doesn't work?" Marie asked with concern in her voice.

"Marie, she got this. We know Marina is like the smartest person we all know. Come on, we've been through so much these past few days. We can't give up on hope now." Callie said, placing a hand onto her cousins shoulder, and so does four giving her a usual confident smile.

"Yeah! We got nothing against us now! We can take on anything that'll try to break up apart!" Four said as she balled a fist and pumped it into the air, which caused Marie to give her a sheepish grin. Callie also smiled as well. Off The Hook duo was watching this with smiles, agreeing with Callie and four.

"A-Alright you guys. Lets do this." Marie responded to their friends reassurance. Everyone was glad to hear this, then they heard a soft groan coming from a bed beside the group.

It was eight.

"Eight? Buddy?! You awake?!" Pearl ran over to the semi conscious smaller octoling, and so did Marina in concern. The octolings eyes opened revealing those vibrant violet eyes, as she grunts slowly getting up and holding her sides, especially that one on her side of her waist. Everyone ran over seeing the agent awake.

"Oh my god, eight! Your awake!" Four chimed. Callie went over and hugged the agent tightly, and so did Marina on the other side of the octoling. Pearl was grinning from ear to ear seeing her friend awake. And Marie, stared at the group hugging and interfering with the octoling, and she smiled watching them. However, from the happy moment that the group was having, she frowned, remembering that she was also hoping someone she knew was OK as well.

Captain Cuttlefish. Her grandfather that they left behind. Then she sees Callie walking up to her with a smile, but she knew what Marie was feeling, and so, she hugged her cousin.

"I'm sure he'll be OK, Marie. Don't worry, I know he'll pull through. He's our strong grandpa." She then gave Marie a wink holding her cousins hand, and gave her that energetic smile of hers. Marie, couldn't help, but to smile at this scene. Callie's smile would make anyone happy within a mile radios. It was THAT strong. And so, Marina went over to transfer the now airborne ink into that tank to the "Make it rain!" device, and to blow it out into the vents to that room, containing the mutated scientist, and three.

"Lets hope it works like this. Cross your fingers." Marina said as she turns on the device.

The gas travels through the venting systems, flowing through the fans which blew it through more of the piping systems that made air travel through the system to provide air supply underground, and possibly in the surface. The gas finally makes its way to the closed off chamber that had three and the mutated scientist in the room. The gas spreads quickly, and soon the mutated mass that the scientist has become begins to melt and unstablize.

"N-No! NO! This is not possible! We! Are! U-Unstoppable!!! O-Our lives cannot be vanquished!!!" The scientist screamed as his body begins to dissolve with the goopy red ink and the mass itself. Three watched and smelled the gases produced from the vents. She watched the scientist as he is now vulnerable now. Once the mass has become nothing, but liquid on the floor which dissolved away with the gas into nothingness. The scientist, now separated from the ink, get gets up slowly.

"This isn't over. I will come back. I always come b---" His head was sliced off by the claws of three. He falls to the ground, lifeless, and he then dried up and his skin crusts over. She then lets out a loud screeching sound in victory. Meanwhile, the shrieking sound was able to alert the group far away from the chamber.

"The hell was that noise?" Pearl remarked. The others looked down the corridor that led to that same chamber from afar.

"I think it came from inside that room." Marina responded. Eight slowly walked over, being carried by the arm by four, being the helpful friend she is. Then they then saw the door cracking slowly open, but it wasn't from a device mechanism to open it. It was from a force that was forcing it open, and the only one with that amount of strength to do that was three. Everyone saw this, and they we're surprised by the sheer amount of strength that three was putting in just to open a sealed tight door. Once open, three stepped forward, looking around, then saw the group. Her glowing eyes shown within the shadows produced by her hair as she was looking down, as her eyes we're on the group.

"Three..." Marie softly said. She has never seen three this way before, plus Callie was surprised herself. Eight pulled herself away from agent four, which surprised the inkling.

"Wait, eight---" She was cut off by the octoling.

"No, I must go to her. She needs me." Eight states, which brings confusion and shock to agent four.

"Eight, you don't know if thats the three you know. She's not herself." Four stated, and the octoling turns over to the agent.

"Four, me and three have been through so much worse than you. She needs me to assist her that I am OK and well. Three has lost it, because she has only seen me mortally wounded by that monster who tried to kill us all. I have stopped her before, I am assure you I can do it again." Such brave words coming from a "innocent" and shy octoling. Four was surprised by this determination coming from her. Marina and Pearl watched as eight slowly walked in front of the group. 

"I am the only one that can get through her when she's like this." Eight slowly breathed in as she saw three running towards them with anger in her eyes. Everyone watched in shock, and four readied her weapon, and so does Pearl. It was like everything went in slow-motion for everyone. Eight walked bravely towards the crazed agent that she knows deeply. The anger within three's eyes didn't even phase her at all, since she's seen this from her before. And, her panic episode wasn't coming into play, surprisingly. 

Three was running on all fours, similar to the infected that they have been encountering for awhile, and her claws would scrap the metal floor below her through her run. Once eight was close, three jumps into the air.

"Eight! Get away!" Pearl yelled, but Marina puts a hand in front of the inkling, so she wouldn't do anything. She believed in the smaller octoling to get three back. Three then lands right in front of eight, but eight doesn't seem phased by this. Eight was that determined to bring her lover back from control of the sanitation ink. They both stared deep into each others eyes intensely like either one of them would win a staring contest. Three's head would twitch from the anger that has consumed her, and the sanitation ink.

"Three? Are you in there? It's me..." Eight places her hands to her own chest to express to the agent in front of her. "Don't you remember me?" Eight said with sadness in her voice, feeling the intensity and anger within three's eyes. Three's fingers curled up becoming a clawed hand and slowly began rising up in the air, but it seemed hesitant and shaking. Eights eyes we're filling with tears seeing this harsh gesture from the inkling she loved, and so, she swallowed all of her pride, breathed in the confidence she once had back into her, and begins to raise a hand herself.

"Three, you know me. You know who I am." Eight spoke in a shaky whisper, and placed both of her hands onto three's cold face. The agent flinched from this contact, and her angry eyes we're now replaced with utter confusion, still angry, but now very confused on why eight did this. "Three, I'm here, remember me, look at me." Three remained still watching the octoling with such confused, yet anger filled eyes.

"Lea, its Riley. Lea, its Riley. Please. Please come back to me. To us." Three's eyes widened hearing her name, as she continued to stare back at the now distraught octoling. And just like that, her eyes begins to fade from utter confusion and anger, to serenity. The sanitation within her skin and fingers slowly faded away, as she began to feel warmth from the octoling's fingertips on her face. The glow of her pupils faded, revealing those heterochromia that the octoling knows of, as her left eyes turned from a glowing turquoise to that ruby red color. However, her right stayed the same, yet they we're no longer glowing anymore, as her hand then lowered to touch the octolings face herself, to make sure this is the eight she knows.

"R-Riley...?" Three said with hope in her voice now. Eight softly, seeing her lover finally coming back to her senses.

"I'm here, Lea. That's it. I'm here." Eight then hugs three tightly, which three does the same, happy to see that eight is OK. Marina and Pearl walked over to the two agents, glad that three is OK now.

"Glad to have ya back, yo." Pearl said as she places her hand onto eights shoulder, and Marina has her arms wrapped around Pearl's neck gently, as she watched the agents then remove themselves off each other.

"Sorry about that outburst earlier, I just...I was so worried about eight." Three spoke having a hint of guilt in her voice. Eight smiled softly to three.

"Its OK, three. I'm OK, even if I have a giant gash on my waist." Eight pats her waist softly, but Marina then chuckled, which everyone then looked at her in confusion.

"Actually, eight, I manage to close up your wound with the cure while everyone wasn't looking." Pearl looked up at Marina with surprise and then gave Marina a kiss on the cheek.

"My nerdy girlfriend at it again with her smart ideas to save people." Marina giggled and blushed from this remark when she just got kissed in front of everyone. Three and eight chuckled. Then Callie ran over to the group, happy as well, however four and Marie stayed behind.

"Welp, we did it, all thanks to that Onyx girl, right?" Four remarked to Marie, and she nodded as she smiled towards four.

"And, I do thank her for saving the world because we all worked hard, Hunter." Marie then got closer to four, which caused the agent to blush.

"H-Huh?" Four was a bit confused but then Marie silenced her confusion by sealing a kiss. Four's emerald green eyes widened in surprised, and before she could do anything else, Marie pulled away.

"And thats for being there when I was injured." Marie smiled and went over to the rest. Four was just dumbfounded by this, but she snaps out of it, realizing that she left to the other, and then four followed behind Marie.

"W-Wait! Wait up!"


	15. Time is all it takes

Then as the group we're talking, they began to hear an alarm go off again. They all became confused.

"But, I thought it was all over!" Four yelled. "What could it be?!" Four yelled once again. Then a voice blared through the system of the radio.

"WARNING: LAB WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS THREE MINUTES. PLEASE EXIT TO THE NEAREST EXIT." 

The speaker said as then the ground began to shift underneath them as it seems to be that the facility will collapse on everyone.

"What?! Since when was that a thing?!" Pearl yelled in fear. "Shit! We gotta get outta here, yo!" Everyone agreed with the idol.

"But, how are we gonna get out?!" Callie remarked.

"By the hatch we went in from?" Three responded from Callie's question.

"Wait, everyone." Marina told everyone to basically be quiet and listen to her. "We're too far away from the hatch we went into. But, there is another way that leads to a kettle to the outside world. Its not far, but we need to hurry, before we will be blown into nothingness!" Marina said as she pulled out her laptop, and found the blueprints of the facility, and showed it to everyone. They all agreed to this plan, and so with no hesitation, they all ran to the nearest exit, which was the kettle. They we're running through the halls fast.

It seemed that rocks from the ceiling was falling from the ceiling to maybe shake the group away from each other, but they ran quickly through the falling rubble. The glass then shattered from the violent shaking of the place, which one glass pane shattered everyone, yet a few shards of glass then flew into Pearl's eyes, mainly her left eye. She screamed feeling those damned shards in her eyes, and stopped holding her head near her eye. Marina stopped seeing pain her Pearl's eyes.

"Pearlie!" Are you alright?!" Marina yelled as she went over to inspect the inkling.

"I'm fine, Rina! Lets keep running!" Pearl responded to Marina's worries. She continued to hold her eye and kept it closed as she kept running. The group had to halt, because the ceiling collapsed their quickest way to get out.

"No good, guys! It's blocked!" Four remarked to the group. Three looked to the side, and saw a hallway that might lead them to the exit, but it was the longer way, so they all bolted.

"WARNING: LAB WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS TWO MINUTES. PLEASE EXIT THE NEAREST EXIT."

"This is not good! We'll be trapped if we don't hurry!" Eight said with fear in her voice, but she was beginning to slow down, and three noticed this. Apparently, this wasn't a good time to have a PTSD attack now.

"Eight! Eight! No no no no!!! Not this again! Not now!" Three yelled as she ran over to the trembling octoling. Four had to stop to inspect whats happening. "Four, she's just having one of her moments again. Keep running. I've got her." Three remarked to the worried agent four, so four nodded, trusting in three, and caught up with the rest. Three then grabbed eight, and carried her bridal style running behind the group, but due to the extra weight she has to carry, she was running slower. 

The group ran into a dead end, but they did see the kettle exit, which gave everyone high hopes that they we're gonna make it. However, the ceiling then collapsed, trapping three and eight outside of the area that everyone else was in.

"No! Guys!" Three banged hard onto the rubble, hearing the other behind it.

"Three! Eight!" Marie, Callie, four, Pearl and Marina said in unison when the ceiling caved in, not allowing three and eight to pass. Guess luck wasn't on their side this time.

"WARNING: LAB WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS ONE MINUTE. PLEASE EXIT TO THE NEAREST EXIT."

"SHIT!!!" three screamed in horror. "Guys! Leave without us! Get out of here while you still got the chance!" Three stated. 

"No! Don't say that! We're not leaving without you two!" Four said as she tried to dig up the rubble. Pearl and Marina we're helping too, but the ceiling continued to cave in more as dirt and metal fell through the ceiling as the ground shook violently once again, as then a fire was then seen behind three and eight from the other side. "Just go! There's no time!" Three said as tears flowed in her eyes, clutching eight tighter in her arms. The group realized there was no hope on saving the two from death. They all had to accept it. Marina was crying hysterically, and so was Marie and Callie, who have known the agents longer than four herself.

"Guys! We gotta head out, now!" Four yelled out to everyone. She was also in distraught from her friends now unintentional demise in the collapsing facility. Everyone escaped to the surface in the kettle, safe and sound. Three lets out a distraught huff in sorrow and fear. She looked down at eight, who has passed out from her panic attack, and hugged her tightly.

"Riley, I...I am so sorry about all this. I'm sorry for attacking you back then, and I'm sorry for our troubled minds. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I couldn't imagine a life as an agent without you. I'm so glad that Captain found you in that damned metro. And now, this." Three looked around seeing the walls cracking and shifting violently as the fire began to get closer and sparks we're flying everywhere too. The speaker came on one last time, remind three for the final time.

WARNING: LAB WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN T-MINUS TEN---" It cuts off since the facility was so badly damaged. Three knew the time was close as she begin to mentally countdown for the facility as she finally accepts her fate, holding eight ever so close, and places a kiss onto eight's forehead. "Riley, when you wake up, you'll be in a better place, and I will be there to hold you. I love you so much, Riley." She closed her eyes, and got ready to brace that kiss of death.

And just like that, the fires went through the remaining halls, destroying whatever was left of the facility, engulfing three and eight into the flames.

The group makes it out, as the ground shifted and shook as if it was an earthquake was happening before them. The smoke and ash came out from the kettle they exited from as the ground collapsed into a hole. Everyone watched once the smoke has cleared, metal, fire and dirt was all that was left in the hole. However, among that smoke was that rainbow colored mist that floated through the skies and disappeared among the clouds. Marina hugged Pearl tightly, knowing that she lost someone dear to her. Marie was crying on fours shoulder, as four tried to comfort the heavily distraught inkling, and so was Callie who was hugging her cousin from behind. They all knew that the destruction has killed their best agents in the Squidbeak Splatoon, and they all needed to accept that. Four slowly walked to the car that they have haphazardly left behind, thankfully it was still functional with a half gas tank.

"Come on, everyone. We did everything we could to save the planet. Lets go home everyone." Four stated to the group as she got Callie and Marie in the car, but Marie couldn't stop holding onto four at all from her cries. Four frowned once more, feeling the heavy sorrow within Marie, and held her. Pearl and Marina got into the front seats, and soon, Marina started the car and leaves the now ruined facility. It was silent throughout the ride, and no one talked to each other for hours, not even four and Callie who we're usually the ones who talked a lot. They all made it out alive, yet their were sacrifices to be made along the way. But, at least they made it through the nightmare with their lives. 

But, amongst the smoke and fires, a hand was then smashed through the rubble.

~Timeskip.~

Its been three months ever since the cure has been out. The cure spread throughout the world, and the mutated creatures have all dissolved into nothing, and the infected have returned to normal afterwards. However, all of the infected have little to no memory of the nightmare, and everything went back to normal.

Well, almost.

Everyone has been scarred ever since three and eight's unnecessary and avoidable deaths. Why it was those reasons, it was because that eight had a panic attack, but they couldn't blame her for it. They blamed themselves for leaving them behind to die. But, three suggested it to leave them behind, because they knew it was it for them. Marie has been stressed out more than usual, Callie was gone for half of the time, and Four was there for Marie ever since they kissed, and ever since the death of her friends. Pearl would try to find ways to try and cheer up her octoling girlfriend, but it was progressively getting worse for her, and Pearl was beginning to give up on Marina, but she can't give up yet.

Pearl wakes up, feeling the sun rays in her face from the window that was damaged awhile back, but due to the outbreak back then, the banks are still rebuilding what was left of it. However, it did not stop her from trying, because Pearl's going to get ready, and go set up her house for a party and a celebration from saving the world, and also for a special someone's birthday.

Marina's birthday.

"Yo, Rina! I'mma head out to go get some stuff for the party, yo! You wanna come with?" Pearl came into Marina's room. But, she saw that it was like she hasn't cleaned her room in weeks. Stuff was covered in a thin layer of dust. Her room was a tad bit messier than normal, and when Pearl turned on the lights, she saw Marina, laying in bed, and holding an octoling plushie she has, and also clutching a picture of eight on there. The pose she was in was giving a bit of an awkward peace sign, and an awkward grin. This picture was taken the first time she escaped the underground. Pearl was shocked seeing Marina lying in her bed, not doing anything. She normally would see her either reading or working on music, but sees her doing this just made her heartache.

She went over towards the distraught filled octoling.

"Rina, um...I'mma head out to get some stuff done for a party. Do you wanna come with?" Pearl remarked to the octoling, but didn't get a response from her. Pearl then turns over to Marina's side, and saw Marina's face. Her face was filled with many negative emotions that Pearl couldn't put her finger on it. All she knows now is that she needs to choose her words wisely and carefully in front of the octoling.

But she couldn't even muster the courage to talk to Marina at this point. Just seeing her girlfriend this way after their friends sacrifice and deaths did impact them harshly, she understood where their coming from, since she was there to witness it as well. Even, no matter how hard she tries to hide the elephant in the room, it'll just keeps on coming back. Besides, today is Marina's birthday, in fact, it was her twenty first birthday.

"O-OK, I'll leave you be, hun. Call me if you need anything, yo." Pearl was about to leave until she heard Marina's voice, and the bed squeaking softly.

"Pearlie." Marina spoke up. She was speaking lower than normal as her voice just strained from speaking, like being sick and woken up, but she wasn't sick. She was sick from sadness. Pearl stopped dead in her tracks, and turns around seeing Marina sat up from her bed, and have turned her head towards Pearl, still holding onto an octoling plushie and a picture of eight.

"Yeah?" Pearl croaked, trying to sound like herself, but couldn't.

"Could you stay for a minute longer...?" Her voice sounded husky and tired, as if she just woke up from sleep, but the inkling idol knew that Marina hasn't been sleeping well. She would take like cat naps, but then would be awake for a whole night, and would take a power nap during the day, and still it wasn't enough. It was like Marina will do anything to tire herself out to at least get sleep, but due to her insomnia, paranoia and depression, it was beginning to eat away at the octolings life.

"Did you get any sleep, Rina?" Pearl wanted to ask, and went over to sit down onto the octolings bed. Yet obviously, Marina answered with a no. Pearl sighed in defeat.

"Hun, I know this is gonna sound wrong, but we've got to move on, yo. It's been three---" Her statement was cut off by a sudden snap from the octoling.

"How could you ever say such a thing so vile to me!? I cannot move on! I keep having visions about the outbreak, and our friends death! Riley was like as if she was my child, our child, in fact! She meant so much to me, and just like that, taken away by the fire! And now your telling me to forget that event ever happened!? Do you not care about your friends?!" Marina gave Pearl such a terrifying glare, that even she backed away in fear. Marina lowered her head as tears begins to flow down her face, staining her cheeks. Pearl wanted to slap herself so hard, for saying such a thing towards her suffering girlfriend. She went over to the octoling once more and placed both of her smaller pale hands onto the dark skinned octolings face.

"Rina, I know, I know. I'm so fucking stupid for not thinking. I'm sorry for saying that. I know you miss Riley, and I am sorry for being this way to you." Pearl tried to assure the octoling to the best of her abilities, but Marina was still angry at Pearl through her soft sobbing. "Rina, I know you miss Riley. I miss her too, hun." Marina slowly raised her head to the now distraught golden eyes staring at her unique green eyes. "I love Riley as much as you do, and I love you, Rina." Marina's eyes we're showing signs of reassurance towards the inklings. "And I wish I could just, fucking go back and time and fix the whole damn thing." Pearl was beginning to cry herself, and then she feels a pair of hands grip gently around her wrists and looked up seeing Marina, smile.

God, its been like three months ever since Pearl has seen her girlfriend smile. But, it wasn't like a full smile, it was like a sad one. It did counted as a smile for Pearl, though.

"I know, Pearlie, I wish I could just teleport in there, and save them before the explosion had its chance." Pearl nodded and smiled, and surprisingly both girls we're beginning to smile themselves. Both knew how to brighten each others day even in the worst situation possible. Hell, they even confessed each other's love during the worst time of their lives, but somehow, they even each other out perfectly.

"I promise, I'll get ya like the best fucking gift for your birthday, Rina. And trust me, it won't be alcohol this time." Pearl winked, which Marina scoffed, but nodded. "And Rina?" Pearl says before leaving Marina's room. Marina looked up to Pearl with slight curiosity in her eyes.

"Get some sleep while I'm gone, aight?" Pearl asked. Marina, softly chuckled, and nods. 

"I'll try, my precious Pearlie." Pearl immediately blushed pink and groaned in embarrassment. Marina, only chuckled a little bit, and lies back down on her bed. Somehow, she was beginning to be more at ease, knowing she hasn't lost everything she loved. She smiled a slight bit, as she was beginning to finally drift off to the unconscious heaven she's been desperately waiting for, and sleeps soundly until Pearl gets back from her errands.

Pearl left the house after putting on a black jacket since once again, she can't find her large pink and yellow hoodie. She knew a certain someone has it on with her. But, she can't just her girlfriend to hand it over to her like that, because she knew Marina wouldn't survive a night without her hoodie which has her scent. Oddly, Marina would have bad nightmares of the underground just sleeping in her room alone, but once Pearl handed her large hoodie over to the octoling, it was like all of the nightmares disappeared into thin air. Pearl, to this day, has no idea what that hoodie has that makes Marina comfortable to secure to sleep in. She wasn't going to question about it anymore as she heads out.

Upon walking, she saw the city of Inkopolis. She shuddered and remembered all the terrible things that happened here. Many of the stores we're closed because of the outbreak. A lot glass windows broken, signs torn down, dry stains of blood and claw marks among anything with wood on them. She knew the city was still slowly recovering from the havoc three months ago, and so was everyone else who had lost many along the way. It pains her heart, seeing the one place she grew up in destroyed right before her eyes, yet her eyes shimmered with hope that civilization will recover eventually, but time will tell. And plus, due to very limited resources they have in stock, Pearl knew that she was going to have to do whats best to her ability to celebrate for saving the world and to celebrate Marina's twenty first birthday.

She heads into the store, and was surprised to find agent four there looking at items of her own.

"Yo! Four! How've you been?" Pearl asked the agent, which four then turned to Pearl with almost the same energy.

"Ah! Heya, Pearl! I'm doing good, how's it going?" Four asked the idol.

"Ah, well, things have been good, although Marina is still down in the dumps, though." Pearl responded as she begins to look around for any items that Marina might like. 

"Ah, yeah. Marie has been like that too, but I am trying to cheer her up by buying her one of her favorite drinks, and a pineapple free pizza too. I mean, what monster doesn't love pineapple pizza?" Four exclaimed as she went to the frozen section of the store. Pearl scoffed.

"Well, four, I'm one of those peeps who doesn't like pineapple on pizza." Pearl finds some fruits and cheese, knowing Marina likes the cold stuff for breakfast.

"You are so dead to me, Pearl." Four jokingly stated as she then grabbed a frozen pizza from the frozen food section. Pearl began to laugh, and in turn four began laughing too. They both sighed, knowing they'll have to part ways again to go visit their girlfriends.

"Welp, later, four." Pearl swung her arm around, turned her whole body around and leaves the store.

"See ya!" Four responded, waving back. Pearl begins to walk back home, but before she could, she decided to walk around the recovering city she once knew and loved. Murch was back, although he did looked a bit banged up from missing a few strains of his hair, Crusty Sean was missing one of his legs and had a few claw marks on his face, but he still remained his upbeat self. Sheldon was still setting up weapons on the walls, which the walls are still being repaired from the damage made by the infected. He saw Pearl and waved at her, which she waved back. And Spike, well, is unfortunately nowhere to be found. A lot of the buildings which we're once stores, restaurants and arcades, are now destroyed before her, but the few workers there are repairing the damage made from the infected months ago.

The invasion has caused a great impact and destruction in they're economy, banks, food and other city regions around the world. It was terrible, but thanks to Onyx's quick thinking, history and they're help, she was the reason why they are still alive to this day. And as they say, "The littlest things can change everything" And that was true. She smiled softly at this thought, yet she then begin remembering how eight and three died within the self-destructing lab. Her heart ached with guilt, remembering she couldn't save eight and three. Marie has guilt for not saving them too, since three and her we're once close, just like Callie and Marie is. Ever since their death, no one in the group barely talk to each other anymore. It felt sick and lonely, but thankfully, four and Pearl were the only ones in the group to try to keep the vibes pumping, but they can still feel that tension and guilt from the others, but they also cared about eight and three deeply. Pearl, hell, even saw eight as one of her own too, since she was the older one.

She shakes away those thoughts, remembering that she needs to head home and check on Marina to see if she's asleep, like promised.

Marina was deep asleep at home, still cuddling the octoling plushie she has, yet the agent 8 picture has fallen to the ground next to her bed. She was breathing in and out through her parted mouth, softly snoring, and was in a fetal position almost. Her room was closed by blinds rather than open than normal. Her room was still in disarray and things such has books, papers and CD's were on the floor rather than put up in shelves, drawers or in her closet. It was like she was trying to find ways to make herself feel better, but forgot to put them up in the end, and lied in bed. The door to her room then slowly creaked open, revealing a smaller squid walking in to check on the octoling. 

"Rina? You asleep? I got you some stuff like promise." The inkling idol asked the sleeping form in the room. No response came from her. She then went over to the other side of the bed, and she sees Marina's eyes closed and heard her soft, and slow breathing. Pearl chuckled, glad to see her girlfriend is asleep. She placed a kiss on her forehead, and leaves the room.

To around a few minutes pass, there was knocking at the front door, then in Marina's room, she awake abruptly hearing her girlfriend scream from the living room downstairs.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?"


	16. Dawn of a new journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter.

Marina's eyes jolted awake hearing her girlfriend scream at the top of her lungs downstairs. She groaned and begins to rub her eyes, when suddenly the door to her cluttered room was opened.

"Marina! Holy fuck!" Apparently Pearl kicked down her door. Marina jolted at this again, and so she slowly sits up wondering what was the commotion all about.

"Mmm...Pearl...? What's going on?" Marina asked the excited idol thats across her bed, and Pearl then just hugged Marina. The octoling idol was very confused, but she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "What's gotten into you, princess?" Marina asked the inkling. Pearl immediately pulled Marina off of her comfortable and warm bed and onto the cold, hardwood floor, which caused the octoling to shiver.

"Quick! Go downstairs! Hurry! Its important, yo!" Pearl frantically yelled at the confused octoling, and runs out the room. "She's back! She's back, Rina!" Pearl yelled from outside her room, and ran downstairs.

"She?" Marina said to herself. What was Pearl going on about? But then it hits her. Was it eight? Is eight and three back? She could feel her hearts begin to beat very quickly with excitement as she got to the door and opened it. She thankfully, remembered to put on some pajama pants on before going to sleep, so she didn't have to wake up and trying to find some decent pants to wear before heading downstairs. Once she finally got downstairs, she saw a sight that she wasn't expecting at all.

Onyx.

"Onyx?" Marina asked in shock. The octoling turned around facing Marina, she smiled calmly and nods to Marina in greeting.

"Heya." Onyx responded, as Marina stepped closer.

"Yo! Onyx! Where've you been this whole time!? We thought you we're dead for a few months, yo!" Pearl exclaimed in excitement and a hint of anger in her voice. Marina, however, was still in shock seeing Onyx alive and well. Onyx chuckled a bit hearing this from Pearl.

"Your alive? But how? We found you...dead on the table." Marina stated. Onyx sighed and chuckled again, then responded to Marina's confusion.

"Well, apparently, the cure you've made revived me for some odd reason. And..." Onyx revealed her tentacle like hair to the idols, and they we're shocked to see that the ends of her hair we're now purple instead of black with hints of red in it. "I've got my own ink color back, guys. I am no longer infected anymore." Onyx happily stated. The due looked at each other with confusion in their eyes, but Marina's eyes flashed in surprise.

"Onyx, y-your tentacles. Their back to their normal violet purple color." Marina pointed out the changes in Onyx's appearance, and remembered that Onyx is like her, but just like a normal octoling hair, yet longer. But, all of that was years ago, before all of this happened. "But the explosion, shouldn't that have killed you?" Marina asked the octoling, and in turn, Onyx nodded.

"Yeah, it should've, but I denied the impossible with an old trick. And also, Don't freak out, and I know how much you two care about your friends eight and three, but they are alive." Onyx admitted. Both idols froze up. But, where we're they was the question. "I'm being serious, y'all. You don't believe me?" Onyx crosses her arms disappointed at the duo.

"But, hold up. If they are really alive, and what your not playing us, then where's eight and three? Are they with you?" Pearl asked the octoling. Onyx goes silent for a moment, but a smile then appeared on Onyx's face. She looks at Pearl's face, then Marina, and then she makes a 'follow me' gesture with a thumb pointing behind her, and leaves the house. Both the idols we're left a bit confused, but they soon found out why Onyx wanted them to follow her.

Three and eight we're waiting for them outside.

Both Pearl and Marina's faces we're turned from confusion to immediate glee. Pearl immediately ran over to them, which caused the smaller octoling to yelp in surprise.

"Oh my god! Eight! Holy shit, yo! Your alive!!!" Pearl was just very ecstatic to meet eight again. Three chuckled softly watching this, then looked over to Marina and gave her a nod as a greeting. Marina walked over to eight and Pearl, which Pearl was still hugging her tightly.

"Awe guys. I'm sorry that happen---ACK!!!" Eight yelped when she felt Marina hug her tightly.

"Family hug!" Pearl shouted in joy. Marina giggled by this, and eight blushed deeply, yet giggled as well.

"I am so glad you two are OK, Riley." Marina responded. Eight chuckled.

"Yeah, apparently, we've been traveling for awhile, and we felt like if we just showed up after what happened, you wouldn't believe it." Eight said sheepishly.

"It was Onyx's idea. We wanted to see ya'll, but she was all like "It won't be a good idea just showing up like that." Three impersonates Onyx's voice, which Onyx rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, real funny, three." Onyx crossed her arms again. Pearl then suddenly shot up off of eight from the floor and ran back inside. 

"Yo! I gotta tell everyone else!" Pearl ran back inside the house, eight followed behind Marina, three did the same, and Onyx was behind them and followed them inside and closed the door behind them. While three and eight have their conversations with the others on the phone, Marina and Onyx we're left alone in the living room for a chat.

"So, how did you three make it out alive? Because after the explosion, we all assumed you are now dead? How did you do it?" Marina asked Onyx. Onyx placed both of her hands into her pockets, then with her right arm pulls out a can. A specials can you get in story mode.

"I used the old bubbler special back when I haven't heard the Calamari Inkantation yet. I was surprised to find it in that trashed lab when I woke up. I saw the place was collapsing, then agents eight and three. So, I hurried and activated it before the fire consumed them, and saved them. They thanked me afterwords, but we all realized that we'll have to get back on foot, since the car to get back to Inkopolis was very low on gas. So we used the rest of it, used up all the food, and we walked all the way back to Inkopolis. It was a journey, but we made it." Onyx explained to Marina.

Marina smiled at Onyx with so much hope and how thoughtful Onyx was to save her friends just in time.

"I had no idea that those old specials would still exist after all this time. Sure, Pearlie has the Princess Cannon, which is a modified Killer Wail special the time we saved the world from a twelve thousand year old A.I made back when humans still walked the earth, but I am so happy that you and the agents are still alive." Marina clasped her hands together, and smiled brightly. Onyx chuckled.

"You? Happy about me being alive? That's new." Onyx responded to Marina's remark, which caused the octoling idol to look at her confused. " And 'Pearlie?' Wait, you two are like, a thing now, aren't ya?" Onyx deviously asked. Marina's eyes shot opened, and her faced began to blush heavily a green color shown from her swarthy skin. "Its cool. I already knew both of you are a thing." Onyx winks at the idol. Marina chuckled nervously, and scratched behind her head.

"Yeah. We confessed our feelings during the whole outbreak. We we're in a bad situation, and it showed...how much we...needed each other." Marina embarrassedly states. "Even though I..." She pauses as she rubs her arm. "I have feelings for her already." She finishes. Onyx's eyes softened and smiled at Marina.

"Nice. So, whats going on? Anything interesting happened while we we're gone?" Onyx asked, but before Marina could respond, Pearl bursts into the room.

"Guys! The others are gonna come on over! So, we need to set up the party, yo!" Pearl yelled as she heads upstairs to the attic to get some stuff. Eight decided to follow and help Pearl set up the party, while three was still on the phone talking to who ever on the phone.

"Party?" Onyx asked confused.

"Well, were celebrating for saving the world, and well, my birthday included." Marina states to Onyx's question. 

"Oh, makes sense." Onyx responded. Marina gets up and starts heading upstairs to help her girlfriend and eight. Three enters the room, and sees Onyx was the only one in the living room. 

"Where's eight and the others?" Three asked sternly to Onyx, and Onyx points upstairs, which three then went upstairs to also, help out with setting up the party, while Onyx is left downstairs. She thinks for a moment as she stares at the window, watching the sun to slowly go down.

She frowned, knowing she has to tell them something else, once this was all over.

After everyone has set up the party, the new Squidbeak Splatoon came over, and we're ecstatic to see agents eight and three alive. Four was very surprised, and even asked Onyx how she do it, and also how was she alive, so she explained to everyone that she used an old special, before she heard the Calamari Inkantation song from back in the day. She even showed them the opened can to them to prove her point. And so, everyone decided to have a 'Welcome home', 'Just saved the World, and 'Marina's twenty-first' birthday party. Yeah, its going to be lasting all night even. Now our hero's are ready to party. But first, Onyx decided to finally build enough courage to even go and talk to Marina about something that she's been dreading to tell for about only like forty minutes. Marina was talking to Marie about some plans in the future when the city is back to running again, but then she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around, she sees Onyx.

"Hey, uh Marina? Is it OK if I can borrow you for a moment?" Onyx asked with a questionable sadness flowing through her voice, yet Marina didn't catch onto Onyx's seriousness.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" Marina naively asked, yet Onyx then changed it to a stern question this time.

"I need to talk to you about something. Its important." Onyx finished and walked away to an empty room and looked behind to make sure Marina was following her. Marina looked confused and surprised at the same time, as she looked at Marie for answers. But, the ex-idol shrugged her shoulders and silently told Marina to go to her if its that important. Marina sighed, hoping it doesn't have to involve with some task she has to do since she's a bit too exhausted to care about it, but she did have the capacity to last on what Onyx has to say. 

All she wanted to do was to party with her friends, then finally, maybe get that damn sleep she's been wanting after she has seen eight and three OK, so her paranoid and insomniac self finally can finally rest.

"So, whats this about?" Marina asked after closing the door. Onyx takes in a breath and sighed.

"Marina, I would like to party and stay with you guys for your celebration, but..." She paused then sighed once more. "But, there's something that I need to do. I have some unfinished business else where." Onyx finished her sentence. Marina was confused about them. Marina was about to ask why, but she cuts her off. "I know what your gonna ask, and heres why. But, don't freak out to what I'm about to say, OK?" Onyx warns Marina. The idol looked confused, but lets Onyx to proceed on what she has to say.

"Apparently, the mutants from the outbreak are still alive when me, agents three and eight we're heading back, which was probably why we took longer than expected." Onyx explained to the idol. Marina's eyes widened in worry and her hand loosened, causing the plastic cup full of the drink she had, fall to the floor. Both octolings had little time to react and it falls and hits the floor. Onyx watched then looked up to Marina, just to see if she's OK, but her stunned and surprised silence turned into deep worry. 

"W-WHAT!? Its still not over yet?!" Marina yelled out in shock. Onyx nodded. "Oh my god! This is terrible! I...I thought we stopped it!" Marina was beginning to freak out, and Onyx nodded again. 

"I thought we did too, but apparently, the mutants are still out there." Onyx responded.

"But, wait. Shouldn't the mutants dissolve from the cure we created? I don't understand why they are still lurking these corners." Marina placed a hand onto her head just to like do some rocket science thinking, but Onyx stops her before going down the rabbit hole of questions.

"Its fine, Marina. I'll do it myself. Besides, I've taken them down before, haven't I?" Onyx confidently stated, but then Marina smirked.

"And died?" Marina scoffed. Onyx then rolled her eyes.

"Did you really have to bring that up?" Onyx stated with a hint of concern in her voice from Marina's choice of words. Though, Marina then nodded at this, which Onyx then responded with a sigh. "OK then." The octoling says as she facepalms and shakes her head. "Right. Well, I would love to party with you guys, yet the elephant in the room is still there. So, I'll need to leave to finish it myself." Onyx then pulls out what looks to be a liquid form of the cure in a small vile like tube that was closed with a metal cap. The, she pulls out a pistol, which looks more something that Grizzco would make from a splatter shot weapon. She puts the vile into the tank of the gun and cocks it.

"Are you really going to go out there yourself? You know, we can come by and help you out." Marina stated with some sorrow in her voice as she twiddles with her green tipped fingers. Onyx huffed out a laugh.

"Oh? Since when did you become all sympathetic and all worrisome about my safety? Thats new, coming from you." Onyx hummed in interest, which Marina scoffed at Onyx's ignorance.

"Because you saved my friends, and you finally have that change of heart that I've wanted from you for years?" marina stated as she crossed her arms, giving Onyx a bit of an uninterested glare. But, Onyx was very surprised by this statement that the octoling she know and and hated her for, was showing a heart to her finally. Then, Onyx did something that she would probably never do, but she did it.

She hugs Marina. Marina was very surprised by this coming from someone she didn't like and worked with at the time, but something about it, made her feel...what's described as faithful. She would normally never feel this feeling from someone she didn't like, but that has changed just like that. Marina, smiled even and hugged back the octoling. Onyx pulled away and begins to leave the room ,when suddenly she heard Marina speak again. But, she wasn't prepared on what she has to say.

"If you do manage to pull this off, will you come by and visit us again? We'll be here for you." 

Onyx stopped dead in her tracks and begins to think. Then, she turns her head to face Marina once again.

"One of these days, maybe. I'll call." Onyx responded to Marina's question, and leaves the house. Marina sighed, knowing its probably going to be never, and so, she cleans up the mess she made from dropping her cup, and goes back to the living room where she first was talking to Marie.

"So, what happened? Onyx just up and left the house. What did she say?" Marie asked the octoling, which the idol smiled back at Marie.

"Whatever unfinished business she has to do, she'll be doing alone." Marina simply says. Marie looked at the door.

"Will she come back?" Marie asked once more.

"One day, maybe." Marina simply stated, yet again.

Meanwhile, Onyx was taking a motorcycle to the barren fields of mountain Nantai. The engine echoed through the quiet landscapes of the mountains, and once she was out far enough, she stopped the motorcycle and steps off. She watched and listened through the dark void that surrounded her. It was very quiet, a little too quiet to her liking for a calm stroll of the night. She then pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lights one, and blew out the smoke entering her lungs after a long while of waiting after the outbreak. She was waiting and waiting for anything or anyone to pop out, but to her surprise, she saw the faint glowing red eyes. Multiple eyes, in fact. The low bellowing roars, and snarls we're heard in the distance. She smiled and inhaled some more smoke as she cocks her gun again to make sure it was loaded. It was.

"Huh, so after all this time, you've all decided to come out of your hiding place, eh?" Onyx calmly states as the looming figures from the distance came closer and closer to her position. "I knew that you wouldn't give up after the cure was created. It make take a while for the winds to take the cure through the atmosphere, but it will take minutes for me to cut through your ugly mugs." She stated again once one got very close, she got to see the monster up close.

It was then centaur looking dragon creature. It had these fleshy looking wings that was connected with tendon looking ink blobs on the body. The legs are digitigrade, as these boney claw like protrusions came out on the feet and in the middle of its body, which it revealing a large gapping mouth with a large tentacle like tongue within it. The entire body is covered in a large layer of red liquidy and slimy ink that would ooze, but to only hang there. Its eyes were on its back and shoulders would be and a male looking inkling who's body was on top of the mass was like its head. It lets out a menacing screech like roar at Onyx. 

She stood her ground, and just shoots the monsters mouth during its roar, which the monsters surprise, it gurgled it a bit, and then, the whitish rainbow liquid began to melt the monster which it lets out a pained groan before becoming this red steam and is taking away by the wind, knowing the cure is still lingering in the air. She takes another puff of smoke and gets back on her motorcycle.

"Monsters. Guess after one will lead me to another." She said before disappearing into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally from Wattpad if you wanna give yourself a read. And just an FYI, this story doesn't really follow the canon game, its on its own terms if your gonna ask about why splatfest is still alive. And no, this doesn't also follow the Chaos vs. Order thing, so let's just say, it doesn't exist in this story, or it never happened. Each chapter, by the way, is like two to three smaller chapters squished into one full chapter. The original, like I said, is on Wattpad. Heres a link where you can find my old profile too, So I guess this is the better version? I don't know. Most of the editing is on here and the old original version is on another website for fanfiction.  
https://www.wattpad.com/story/167548524-splatoon-3-the-primal-ink-invasion


End file.
